Shadows of Israphel: The Third War
by TkaiaWolf
Summary: It's been a few years since the last sand wars, and things are peaceful-but not for long. When Israphel rises again, along with all the horrors beneath the sands, it's up to some intrepid adventurers to save the day. However, with Xephos, Honeydew, and Knight Peculier all missing, it's up to a couple of young trainees to save the day-if Israphel doesn't kill them first.
1. Chapter 1

**So, if you've ever played Minecraft, I'm sure you've heard of or seen the Yogscast on YouTube. I'm doing a Post-Shadows-of-Israphel, since they're taking FOREVER to get the 39****th**** episode out, and I need to do something SoI related, so… hope you like!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Yogscast, SoI, or Minecraft.**

Chapter One

The Gang's All Here

The young woman walked down the road at sunset, glancing around her. The city wasn't far away, but her world at night was a dangerous place. Looking around again, she drew a lightweight, slender sword of pure mithril, with a ruby set in the hilt. It glowed with light, and, reassured, she continued down the path, unaware that she was being followed.

A dark figure in armor stalked the girl, his own blade drawn, silently sneaking up on her. He raised his iron sword, came right up behind her, and said, "Boo!"

The girl whirled around, swinging her sword expertly, but her stalker deflected the blade and laughed, taking off his iron helm, his young face grinning from under helmet-tousled brown hair. "Hey, Kiata. Bit jumpy? The road from Verigan's Hold to New Mistral isn't that dangerous, you know." The girl called Kiata glared at the young guard.

"Tarven, you idiot! I thought you were a monster, or some thief!" Kiata cried, slapping Tarven upside the head. She was wearing a weathered white tunic, painted with a red cross on both sides, and similar cotton pants, but with no cross. A traveling cloak of brown cloth was hung over her shoulders, but the hood was down, so her long, auburn hair could be seen.

"Aw, surely any monster or thief would think twice before attacking a great, powerful Templar like you." Tarven quipped. He was wearing leather pants and a cotton tunic under a slightly battered iron chest plate. He sheathed his sword. "C'mon, New Mistral's just ahead." They walked along the road. "Or are you still in training?" He asked, revering to his Templar comment.

"Still training. Adaephon gave me some time off to come visit you guys. Didn't want to, though. Honestly, the way he goes on about my duty, you'd think the fate of the world rested on my shoulders alone. But don't get me wrong." Kiata said hurriedly. "I love being a Templar. There's nothing I'd rather do. It's just a little boring between dungeon runs."

"Why's that?"

"Well, when I'm not training or helping Adaephon conquer dungeons, I'm patrolling the Wall. And the Wall is huge. Imagine, just walking along a wall for miles and miles, all day long, with nothing to do but try not to look at the desert, as, apparently, it corrupts." Kiata said, imitating her mentor's voice. "But, except for the patrols, it's an awesome job. And it'll only get better once I finish training. How're things going for you? Are you still training to be a City Guard?"

"Yeah. I'm training under Knight Peculier, and he's amazing. He's really been there, you know? He really knows how to fight monsters. And the stories he tells!" Tarven grinned. "I don't know how many of them are true, but if half of them are, he's way more skilled than your Adaephon, by far."

"I don't doubt it, and the stories are true. He and a group of adventurers stopped Him about two, three years ago from taking over the world." Kiata said. "Peculier's Adaephon's nephew, and he's really skilled. I've never met him, though."

"Wait a minute, who's Him?" Tarven asked, confused.

"You know, Him." Kiata replied, looking a little nervous.

"No, I don't know."

"Seriously? You mean you really don't know about Is-" She stopped suddenly. "Look, I'll tell you about it later, when the others get here. I doubt Kasha or Arctus know about it, either, now that I think about it. I just thought, with you training with Peculier... Never mind. How's Daisy? I've met her, she made me this sword. She's nice."

"Oh, Daisy? She's living with Peculier now. She's an amazing weapon smith, and great with armor, too. She made the stuff I'm wearing, and I know it's good, 'cause it saved my life when a Creeper decided to sneak up on me during patrol last week." Tarven said lightly, but Kiata could tell that he hadn't dropped the previous subject. They drew up to the city gates, where an older man with an old sword and armor like Tarven's was waiting for them.

"There you are, Tarven, you're late, I was worried." The man said. "Who's this young woman?"

"Sorry, Peculier. This is my friend, Kiata. I told you about her a couple days ago, she's training to be a Templar." Tarven said, standing aside so Kiata could step forward and shake Peculier's hand.

"A Templar? Very nice. You'll be training under Adaephon, I suppose?" Peculier asked, looking impressed that such a young woman would want to be a Templar.

"Yes, sir. He speaks most highly of you. You're his nephew, right?" Kiata replied.

"Yes, I am. But, come, outside the wall at night is no place to talk. Let us get inside. Do you have a place to stay?" The old knight asked, leading the way into the city.

"Yes, I'll be staying at the inn- Woah!" Kiata gasped, looking up at the floating islands above. "H-how do they stay up like that?"

"Magic. Fumblemore and his brother, Swampy Bogbeard helped us out." They turned to see a young woman with windswept blond hair kept back with aviator's goggles and

leather clothes walk up to them, grinning. "When did you get here, Kia?" She asked, hugging the young Templar.

"Do you know Skylord Kasha?" Peculier asked.

"Yeah. She, Tarven, and I were old friends along with another man named Arctus. We're having a bit of a reunion. We haven't seen each other in at least a year." Kiata said, grinning at her old friend.

"A year? It's been way too long, then!" Kasha said. "I mean, Tarven and I see each other occasionally, when I'm here in Mistral, but mostly I'm training with Skylord Lysander at Skyhold. Midi got me over here just fine, though." Midi, or Midnight, was Kasha's black Pegasus. "I had to polish all the airplanes to earn a week off from Lysander. He's an awesome mentor, but real strict, especially about free time." She rolled her eyes. "But this is no place to talk, let's go to the inn, we can catch up there." They started walking when Tarven cleared his throat.

"Erm, guys... I kind of have to finish the night watch." He said awkwardly.

"No, you don't." Peculier said, sighing. "You can have the week off, Tarven, providing you do one thing for me." He rummaged in his satchel, then pulled out a map. "This will lead you to my friend's home. It's about halfway between here and Terrorvale. You and your friends go there tomorrow, tell them I would like some help from them, alright?"

"Of course. Thanks, Peculier!" Tarven said, putting the map in his own satchel and following his friends to the inn.

"Who're his friends?" Asked Kiata curiously as they settled down at a table.

"Oh, them. They're Honeydew and Xephos, I've only met them a few times, but they're amazingly strong. Honeydew's a dwarven miner from Khaz Modan, and Xephos is a human they say fell from space." Tarven replied, shrugging. "They live in a cave house over by Terrorvale."

"Wait, Xephos and Honeydew, the heroes?" Kiata asked. "They're the ones who helped Peculier save Minecraftia years ago! Can we come with you when you go to see them? I've always wanted to meet them!"

"Uh, sure. When are you going to tell us about what they were saving the world from, anyway?" Tarven replied.

"Yeah. Lysander and Jasper sometimes mention a war, but I've never asked about it. What's that all about?" Kasha asked.

"The war? Surely you've heard of the Sand Wars?" A voice said from the doorway. A young man with longish black hair and a long, dark blue cloak walked in, a slender wooden wand engraved with magical glyphs held loosely at his side.

"Arctus! Long time no see!" Tarven greeted, beckoning the young wizard over to their table. "Nice wand. Wizard training still going good, then?"

"It's going great." Said Arctus, grinning and sliding the wand into its leather holster. "You'd be surprised, it's not all just saying a few magic words and causing explosions-although, when you're training with Fumblemore, explosions do play a large part. But never mind that-why are you talking about the Sand Wars? Not a happy subject."

"These two have never heard of them." Kiata explained.

Arctus nodded. "I'm not surprised. Not exactly popular dinner conversation, if you know what I mean."

"Why not? Just how bad was it?" Asked Kasha apprehensively.

"Well, put it this way," Arctus said, filling his glass with water. "Most of those involved are either dead or too traumatized to talk about it. Take Knight Peculier. The Sand Wars were particularly hard on him. Took his mother, father, grandfather... Just about everyone except his Uncle, Adaephon, and his wife, Daisy Duke. And it nearly took them, at that. Most people who moved here from other places haven't heard of it. Of course, Kiata would have. The Templars played a huge role in fighting off the Evil both wars."

"Then why do you know of it, Arctus?" Tarven asked.

Arctus grinned. "Two reasons; one, I'm a wizard and it's my job to know these things. Two, my mentor, Fumblemore, is one of the last old veterans of both wars. Him, Spacker le Chuck, and Adaephon are all that's left of the old crew that traveled with Verigan in the old days."

"I know the story from here." Kiata said. "At the beginning of the Sand Wars, Verigan, his sons, Karpath and Adaephon, Arabella Bacon, a young adventurous maiden with some swordplay, Fumblemore, a wizard, and Spacker, a pirate dwarf, all led the people of Minecraftia against the Evil beneath the Sands. The monsters rose from the desert, which threatened to overcome the land. They came from Hellgates-spiders, Creepers, and the undead. And leading them was the dark lord Lehparsi. Finally, after many battles, Lehparsi was killed by Verigan. But Verigan died. His son, Karpath, built the Wall to hold back the sands, and established the Templars, to make sure it never fell. Karpath disappeared-or so it seemed. He went away to Mistral City with his family to investigate an evil Cult, and alleged sightings of a pale faced man, which were confirmed with horrifying certainty when a man of that description kidnapped his wife. Karpath discovered a Hellgate in the abandoned mine of Old Mistral, and sacrificed himself to destroy it. For a while, things were peaceful. Then, when two adventurers, Xephos and Honeydew, built a Hellgate, hoping to explore the realm beyond, they inadvertently released the Evil. This time, it chose a new champion- Israphel. After he attacked them, Xephos and Honeydew chased Israphel to Terrorvale, where they met an innkeeper named Peculier," Tarven narrowed his eyes. Innkeeper? "A blacksmith named Daisy, and a Reverend named John. Peculier gave them food and drink, then informed them that Daisy needed assistance. They went and gathered diamonds from the mine for her, and she made the heroes armor, Xephos a diamond sword, and Honeydew a diamond pickaxe. The Reverend asked them to retrieve his bible from his burnt house, after revealing that his son was slain years ago by creepers." Everyone winced. That wasn't a fate they'd wish upon anyone. "The heroes, accompanied by Peculier, ventured into the old house. Within, they found no bible, but a dungeon. After conquering it, they left to tell the Reverend, and Peculier muttered that John had never been the same since his son, Israphel, died." Tarven and Kasha's eyes widened. "They also noticed that Daisy had gone missing. They found the Reverend in the crypt, staring at a coffin. When they confronted him, he attacked, and was slain by Xephos. They found the grave was marked Israphel, and beneath it they found a secret passage. When they followed it, they found a great underground castle, with Israphel in it. He was holding Daisy captive." Kasha gasped. "They conquered the castle, Peculier defeating a Zombie Boss, and a Creeper Boss nearly killing them all. Finally, they discovered another secret passage, and followed it. It led to the Cave of Terror, where the heroes had built their Hellgate. Before they could go through it, the heroes were teleported to a desert island. No one save them knows what happened there, but when Peculier and a friend of his, Skylord Lysander," Kasha gasped again. "Found the island in an airship, the heroes were hungry, lean, but alive.

"Lysander took them back to the mainland, but the ship crashed. Everyone was alright, and they went to the portal, and attempted to follow it through, but found that the gateway was sealed. Peculier noticed the sand surrounding the portal, and said that it had to be destroyed. After it was, they-"

"Okay, long story short, the next Sand War began, and we won by a hairsbreadth." Arctus finished. "But lots of people nearly died. Even Peculier himself-if the heroes and Lysander hadn't gathered the ingredients for Fumblemore's potion, Peculier would have died of the Taint of Israphel. He's actually not that old-the Taint made him age prematurely."

"Really?" Tarven asked quietly. He looked shaken.

"Yeah. The Sand Wars were rough on everyone. But, as I said-not popular dinner conversation. It's best if we change the subject, yes? So, how've you all been doing?" And the subject moved on to training, daily life, reminisces, and other things. But no one could shake the slight chill that had filled the air, and Tarven's dreams were filled with rising sand and glowing red eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the long wait! I've only just gotten WiFi, on vacation. So, two chapters for you! Oh, and to the ONE PERSON who reviewed (and probably the one person who read) named Shadowthorn12, thanks! I hope you stuck with me all this time! I'll try to update more frequently.**

**Also, you may have noticed another SoI story go up, and don't worry, I'll still be doing this. The whole thing with Ruth (fav name WOOHOO) was going to happen to Kiata, but I just couldn't work it in plausibly. So, I made a second story! BTW, I probably won't be doing crossovers between them. Unless you want me to. Then, maybe. If you ask nicely ;-)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Minecraft, Shadow of Israphel, or the Yogscast.**

Chapter Two

On the Road Again

In the morning, the young group of friends gathered on the main road leading out of New Mistral, ready for a journey. Tarven had his armor and sword, along with a traveling satchel to store his things. Kiata wore her Templar uniform, and had her mithril sword in it's scabbard at her waist, along with a bag of her own, and a bow and quiver of arrows strapped to her back. Kasha had a longbow and some enchanted arrows, of the multiplying, fire, and exploding varieties, and dual knives strapped to her waist. She also rode her Pegasus, Midnight, and had her things stored in a bag strapped around Midi's neck, as Kasha preferred to ride bareback, and, therefore, had no saddlebags. Arctus had a small satchel full of wizardng supplies, such as gold, magic dust, an expandable staff for combat, mysterious green marbles that Arctus refused to talk about, and long red sticks of what looked suspiciously like TNT.

"Why does a wizard need TNT?" Kasha demanded. "Surely you can simply cast a spell to make things explode?"

"Well, yeah." Arctus replied, casually sticking a flint and steel in next to the explosives. "But you never know. What if we need to blow up obsidian? It's notoriously resistant to magic, so I'd need TNT to blow it up. Little trick Fumblemore taught me."

"And why in the name of Notch would we need to blow up obsidian?" Kasha asked scathingly. Arctus just shrugged. "Whatever." And they set off.

After a mile or two, the Tarven held up a hand to stop them. "Wait." He sniffed the air. "I smell smoke."

"They probably just have a fire going." Kasha said dismissively. They continued down the road, Kiata in the lead. She crested a hill, then froze.

"Guys? You might want to take a look at this." She said in a small voice. The others rushed up the hill, then looked over at the spot where the heroes' house stood. It was completely obliterated. Fire was everywhere, smoke rose from the wreckage, and huge waterfalls and lava flows flooded the pit that used to be the Yogcave.

"No." Tarven muttered, horrorstruck.

"Oh, dear." Arctus whispered, pulling out his wand surreptitiously, then going towards the ruins. He bent down to examine the ash covering the ground, then sniffed the air. "Gunpowder... This place was sabotaged. No one, not even Fumblemore, could set off this much TNT on accident."

"Where are the heroes?" Kiata asked. They exchanged glance, then, by silent agreement, split up to search the wreckage. After half an hour, the only things they could find were the heroes' weapons-Xephos's diamond sword, and Honeydew's diamond pickaxe, both crafted by Daisy Duke.

"What are we going to do?" Kasha asked.

"I say we-" Tarven started.

"Wait." Kiata interrupted. "Can't you hear it?"

"Hear what?"

"That sound. Like...moaning. Monsters, in broad daylight, and a kind of pulsing." She shuddered. "You mean you can't hear it?"

"I can." Said Arctus. He looked nervous. "It's coming from over through there." He gestured to a passageway, then, without further ado, he lit his wand tip with flame, and proceeded down the tunnel.

"Now, wait a minute. We can't just-" Tarven began, but Kiata had followed Arctus, intent on finding the source of the noise. Tarven and Kasha exchanged glances, sighed, and proceeded down the tunnel.

"You know, I think I'm starting to hear it, too." Kasha said, a few yards down the tunnel. "Like zombies. But there can't be any here. It's too well lit."

"I can hear it too. Look-we're coming out." The group emerged into a huge cave, bathed in purple light. Kiata and Arctus were staring at the altar in the middle of the cave, Arctus with awe, Kiata with horror.

A great obsidian gateway stood there, filled with a swirling, purple light, sparks of magic swirling into it's foreboding center. Tarven felt drawn to and repulsed by it at the same time, as though it had its own gravitational field, and yet every fiber of Tarven's being warned him to stay away from it. Kasha was bending over, looking at something on the ground.

"A portal." Arctus breathed. "A real portal. I've read about them, but never actually seen one. I wonder where it leads?"

"You don't want to know." Kiata whispered, staring at, not the great, swirling mass, but at the sand-covered floor. "We have to destroy it." She hefted Honeydew's diamond pick.

"Kiata, wait!" Arctus cried, but it was too late- Kiata had swung the pickaxe, chipping the portal's obsidian frame. The portal's light flickered. She swung it again, and again, and again, until, finally, she drove a hole all the way through the gateway, and the light collapsed in on itself, then disappeared. The sounds faded.

"Kiata, you idiot!" Arctus groaned. "I wanted to study that!"

"It had to be destroyed." Kiata gasped. "That was a Hellgate, Arctus, leading to the Nether. And if it wasn't destroyed, Israphel could come back-"

"I think it's too late for that." Kasha said, staring a piece of parchment in her hand.

"Why?" Kasha handed her the paper silently. Kiata read it aloud.

To whomever may find this,

I have risen again. If you thought you were safe after that weakling Peculier and his friends, the so-called heroes, killed me, you are a fool. Death is but a temporary inconvenience to me. And now that tether has been removed. My last loyal servant has repaired this portal, and released me into the Overworld once more. I have captured the heroes, and hidden them in the Nether. This Portal has been sealed. If you ever wish to see the Heroes of the last war again, you'll have to find the last activated one, and go through it. It shall lead you to the stronghold in which my prisoners are kept. If you fail in this task, they shall die, and my greatest warrior shall rise from the Sands, and raze your precious Minecraftia.

You have been warned. Find me, if you dare.

Israphel

"Well." Arctus said after a moment of silence. "This is shit."

"No kidding." Tarven said weakly. "What do we do?"

"We have to get back to New Mistral, tell Peculier, or somebody-" Kasha said.

"Really, Kasha, do you honestly think he's left New Mistral alone?" Kiata said exasperatedly. "Or Peculier-he's got to be one of his top targets. And he's already got the heroes-"

"Then we have to get to New Mistral!" Tarven shouted. "Peculier's in danger, and I'm his trainee, it's my duty to protect him!"

"It- you're right, Tarven. Let's hurry back." Kiata said, changing tack hurriedly. But as they set back off down the road at a run, Tarven knew what she was going to say- "It's probably already too late."

No, he told himself firmly. Peculier's the strongest man I know. He's still alive. And, if you're right, then Israphel would want him alive. You've still got a chance.

But then there was the matter of why Israphel wanted Peculier in the first place. Why hadn't Peculier told him about the Sand Wars? You heard Arctus-people don't like to talk about it, and the wars were harder on Peculier than most. He was probably trying to protect you or something. A lame excuse, but better than nothing. Besides, it wouldn't change how he felt about Peculier. His mentor was the strongest man he knew, and Tarven respected him more than anyone. He couldn't allow his hero to be captured by Israphel-even if he had to fight an enemy he knew next to nothing about.

"I smell smoke. Or is it just me?" Kasha asked as they were nearing the city. Then they saw the flames.

"I'm guessing it's not just you." Arctus said nervously.

"No." Tarven whispered. He ran towards the top of the hill, hoping against hope that he wouldn't see what he saw. "No!" New Mistral was in ruins, burning buildings half collapsed on themselves, some of the islands fallen from the sky, and not a person in sight.

"Tarven, wait!" Kiata called, but Tarven ran ahead, into the ruins, looking for the burnt remains of his mentor's home. Then he found it-the burnt half of the Duke Smithey sing that had stood in front of the blacksmith next to their house. Tarven ran inside, searching the burnt rooms. He rashly climbed the crumbling staircase, where he found, to his relief, Daisy passed out on the floor. He picked her up, and, seeing a piece of parchment lying beneath her, face up, read;

Too late.


	3. Chapter 3

**So, so, SO sorry about the long wait! I've been camping, and I only just got back, and I'm taking summer school courses online (not bad grades, just want both Spanish and Band) so I haven't had a lot of free time. BUT I shall be updating every Saturday from now on, so look for that, any readers that I have left!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Minecraft, the Yogscast, or any of their characters or senarios.**

Chapter Three

Conspiracies and Schemes

"Who's that?" Arctus asked when Tarven carried Daisy's limp form out of the smoldering wreckage.

"Daisy Duke." He replied, laying her down on a bit of grass that wasn't on fire, and putting the parchment in his satchel with the other note.

"Is she...?"

"Alive? I think so." Tarven replied as casually as he could manage without his voice shaking. Too late. Too late to what? To keep Peculier from being captured? Or being killed? Don't think like that. He's alive. He has to be.

Kasha came over with a medical kit from her bag. "Yes. She's just unconscious." She said after a minute, then started binding a wound on her head. "Minor concussion. But the mark... It isn't like, she fell and hit her head or anything... This was an attack." She glanced up to see her friends staring at her. "What? Advanced first aid is a necessary skill for a Skylord."

"So, she'll be okay, right?" Tarven asked anxiously.

"Yeah, she'll be fine. I doubt she'll even be unconscious for that much longer. But this smoke can't be good for her. Let's get out of this place." Kasha suggested, picking Daisy up and putting her on Midi's back.

"Shouldn't we look for more survivors?" Arctus asked, fiddling with his wand and accidentally causing a small crater to form in the road nearby. "Oops."

"No." Tarven said, after some thought. "Everyone has either fled, or... Well, they all fled. But where should we go ne-" He spotted something in the wreckage that made him falter. He ran over to a smoldering wall of Peculier's house, shoved it aside, and picked up an old iron sword, with ancient runes carved along the blade; "Sand shall not dull my blade."

"Peculier's sword." Tarven said, his voice shaking. "It was his father's. He never would have left it. Never."

"It probably doesn't mean anything, Tarven." Arctus said. "There are dozens if possibilities. He could have been fighting, and spirited away by Israphel, and the sword just got left behind. Or-"

"Y-your right." Tarven said, trying desperately to regain his composure, while the message from Israphel ran through his brain over and over; Too late. He slid the sword into his scabbard, in place of his old one, which he discarded. "Where should we go next?"

"Verigan's Hold." Kiata said immediately, as though she'd been waiting for this moment. "I have to let Adaephon know what's going on. He knows what to do. And we can take Daisy to Icaria. She'll be safe there."

Without another word, Kiata led the way out of the wreckage. By silent agreement, the adventurers had decided not to mention the ruin of New Mistral. They passed the forest that was once Old Mistral, and went through Skull Pass. They had just reached Verigan's Hold when the sun set. Kasha took Midi to the stables, and Kiata led the way inside.

"Adaephon! Adaephon? Sir, where are you, it's an emergency!" Kiata called. Adaephon, an old man with dark skin, a mask covering his face, a uniform like Kiata's, but older, and a spear emerged from a doorway on the balcony overlooking the main room.

"Trainee Kiata! I wasn't expecting you back for another few days." He said, puzzled.

"Please, sir, it's an emergency!" Kiata repeated, climbing the stairs up to the balcony. "New Mistral has fallen!"

"What?" Adaephon cried, stunned. "New Mistral? How?"

"It was... Him, sir." There was a silence.

"You are sure?" Adaephon said after a while.

"Very." Kiata replied, then explained what they found at the Yogcave wreckage, and at New Mistral. Tarven showed him both notes.

"This... This is grave news." Adaephon murmured. Daisy stirred in her sleep. She was supported between Tarven and Kasha. "Take Daisy to the bedrooms. Kiata can show you the way. Once she awakens, we will discuss this further. I have preparations I must attend to..." He went off to the battlements, and Kiata led the group to the bedrooms, where they got Daisy settled. Kiata and Arctus discussed what might happen next, while Kasha tended Daisy's wounds and Tarven sat at a window overlooking the desert, staring out into its endless horizons, wondering if his friend and mentor was somewhere out there, waiting for him...

"AAAAAAAGH!" Tarven jerked awake at the scream. He had dozed off. Hand on his sword hilt, he turned around to see Daisy thrashing around, screaming, while Kiata and Kasha tried to hold her down, and Arctus, who had also just been woken up, yelled, "Oh gods! Oh gods! Oh gods!"

"Get away from me, you vile, you evil!" Daisy shrieked, slapping Kiata across the face in her frantic attempt to fight off some unseen enemy.

"Daisy's awake!" Kasha said unnecessarily.

"Daisy! DAISY! Calm down! It's me, it's Tarven, remember?" Tarven said, trying to get inside her view.

"Danger!"

"Daisy, listen to me!" Tarven yelled, grabbing her face and forcing her to look at him. Slowly, she stopped thrashing and stared at him with her sapphire eyes, her blonde hair in disarray due to her struggle.

"T-T-Tarven?" She got out.

"Yes."

"I-I thought... Horrible dream..."

"Don't worry, you're safe now." Tarven assured.

"Where am I?"

"Verigan's Hold."

"Why am I here?"

"New Mistral was attacked." Tarven said gently. "You were hurt. We carried you here. You're going to be fine."

Daisy looked at him, her expression foreboding. "Where's Peculier?" She asked, looking as though she already knew the answer and was hoping she was wrong.

"I-we don't know." Tarven said, struggling to keep his voice steady. "All we know is, Israphel-"

"Israphel!" Daisy gasped. "You have to stop him, it was him, he burned Mistral, I smelled smoke and then he came upstairs, I cried out, and... Oh, Tarven, he has Peculier, Peculier came when I screamed, and Israphel captured him, oh, if only I'd kept quiet-"

"Daisy, you can't blame yourself for what happened." Kiata said reassuringly. "This is Israphel we're dealing with. He'd've found Peculier even if you hadn't screamed, and not only would Peculier be captured, but you'd be dead, and we'd be in a far worse state. Calm down, Daisy." She said sternly, as Daisy looked on the verge of tears. "It'll be okay."

Daisy took a deep breath. "Sorry." She said, her voice steadier. "It's just-ever since he captured me, years ago..." She shuddered. "But you're right. Blaming myself would only hurt matters. What are we going to do?"

"You are going to Icaria." Tarven said. Daisy tried to protest, but he cut her off. "Daisy, you still have a concussion. You're in no shape for traveling far, much less fighting, and that's what we'll be doing. Ask Mrs. Miggles-she'll give you a place to stay, just tell her your name and that Tarven sent you. Okay?" Daisy hesitated, then finally nodded. "Good. Now get some rest."

After a few minutes, Daisy fell asleep again. Arctus looked at Tarven oddly. "How do you know old Mrs. Miggles?"

"She's my grandmother." Tarven said reluctantly. "And, whatever you do, do not pet her cat. The thing's a demon."

"Muffin? No way."

"Way."

"Guys? I've been thinking." Kasha said, coming into the conversation suddenly. "We've all been talking about how we're going to fight Israphel."

"And now for something completely different." Arctus muttered.

"What if Adaephon won't let us fight? I mean, of course he'll let you fight, Kiata." Kasha amended, nodding to the young Templar. "He's been training you for this. But what about the rest of us? If he doesn't enlist the Skylords' help, then I won't be able to fight, and Tarven and Arctus... Well, he'll probably send you two off to Icaria. Now, don't get me wrong," She added hurriedly, when the two men started to protest. "we all know that you're good. But you're still trainees. Tarven, even if you were trained by Peculier, you're still just a city guard, and not even out of training. The same goes for you, Arctus. You may be good, but you're still in training, and you can't go five minutes without causing an explosion."

"It's been nearly fifteen minutes." Arctus mumbled. (He had made a small hole in the desert outside earlier, out of sheer irritation with it.)

"What'll we do if Adaephon won't let us fight?" Kasha went on as though there had been no interruption.

"Well..." Tarven said slowly. "We'll fight anyway, won't we?"

"I can probably convince Adaephon." Kiata said. "I mean, look at the heroes. They weren't trained for this, either. And he let them fight, because they didn't give him a choice. We just won't give him a choice, either."

"That's right." Arctus said. "I mean, he knows how useful a wizard is. He should know that two wizards are better than one!"

"And he'll need all the fighters he can get." Tarven added. "Experienced or not. Plus, I've got a score to settle with old Israphel. He captured my mentor, and I intend to get him back. And if he's k-killed Peculier... Then I'll pay him back in kind."

"And we'll help." Arctus said. "We'll kill him together. And if I'm defeated, I'm taking as many of his minions with me as possible. And, like, explode his base. And the surrounding area. Preferably a few of his portals. You know, I just want to destroy as much of his stuff as possible."

"That," Kasha announced. "Is the craziest thing I've ever heard, and if it came from anyone but your mouth, I would have locked them up in the insane asylum. But as it's Arctus, he has an excuse." Arctus mock-glared at her. "Hey, it's true! You've been exploding things and catching things on fire since we were kids in Terrorvale!"

"Back before we moved to Rakia?" Kiata asked, grinning reminiscently. Rakia was a huge city miles away from the Wall or Mistral. It was one of the few places in the continent far enough away to not be affected by the Sand Wars. Now that Kiata thought about it, perhaps that was why their parents, along with most of the population of Terrorvale, had moved to the city, back when they were thirteen.

"Yeah. Remember when he set Reverend John's robe on fire? During his sermon?" Kasha asked, laughing.

"Oh, yeah." Tarven replied, laughing as well. "John's sermons were always boring. That was the only one I ever enjoyed."

"Did you hear, the heroes apparently found him all zombified, and had to kill him again! Turns out he was an evil Cultist of Israphel." Kiata said.

"I always knew he was a little off." Arctus said. "I mean, the look he always gave me! Pure evil!"

"Can you blame him? You and Tarven were always doing something to him." Kasha said disdainfully.

"But he always hated me way more than Tarven!" Arctus protested.

"It's not my fault you always ran too slow and got caught." Tarven retorted, causing Kasha and Kiata to laugh and Arctus to pout.

"If you're done recounting your childhood misdeeds and plotting how to get into the war," They all jumped at Adaephon's amused voice. "I've finished my preparations. Now, Kiata." He suddenly turned grim. "I think you know what you need to do. Inform your friends, then set off at once."

"Yes, sir." Kiata replied, her once laughing face suddenly pale, nervous, and determined.

"I suggest you head to the Mistral Ruins first. After that, go to whatever locations you wish. Report back to me when you have finished your assignment." He looked sadly at his trainee, one of the last Templars. "So young. So undertrained. But I think you shall succeed." He murmured, still staring at Kiata as thought he were wondering whether she would come out of it alive. "One way or another, you shall do your duty." With one last glance at his prodigy, he left. Kiata looked down, steeling herself. When she looked up, she was, for the first time that her friends saw, rock solid.

On the journey from Terrorvale to Rakia, she had lost both her parents and her two siblings to a creeper attack. Her friends had tried to support her, but their once confident, leaderly friend had never been the same. Sure, she was still strong, still the one they turned to to make the big decisions, but one contradicted order, one bad decision, and her confidence crumbled in an instant. And at times, she seemed as unpredictable as the weather-one moment sunny and happy, the next rainy and depressed.

Finally, she had found a purpose, a reason to live, a battle to win or die trying. She'd become a Templar in an attempt to find something worthwhile. At last, with a war brewing and lives on the line, Kiata, fourteenth Templar of Verigan's Hold, was ready to win.

"Oh, shit, son." Arctus muttered. "We got good old Kia back."

"Guys." Kiata began, her tone commanding for the first time in years. "You saw what Israphel's message said. We have to check to see which of his portals is still activated. Some of the closest and most easily accessible are in and around the Mistral Ruins."

"Old Swampy's place." Arctus said. "He's my mentor, Fumblemore's, brother. They don't get along very well. He's a druid, he hates it when his brother blows up his plants. He's turned the ruins into a dense, nearly unnavigable forest."

"Yes." Kiata agreed. "We need to go there. The best way to do this is to split into two groups; Kasha and Tarven, Arctus and I."

"Why those groups in particular?" Tarven asked. "I'm not complaining." He said hurriedly at Kasha's glare.

"A: It's a bad idea to have groups with only ranged or only melee attacks. B: Kasha and Arctus would just argue constantly and accomplish nothing." Kiata reasoned. "We can't have any distractions on this mission."

"Yeah, and plus, you and Tarven would just flirt constantly and get nothing done, either." Kasha quipped.

"Uh-huh. Like you two know anything about romance." Kiata retorted. "You're so clueless you think that arguing and flirting are synonyms." They all glared at each other, held it about a second, then burst out laughing.

"Okay, then." Tarven said, pulling himself together. "Let's get going."

They all put their hands on top of each others, and yelled, "For the win!" Then, they gathered their supplies and went off to the Mistral Ruins.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the late update! Been a bit busy. Anyway, here's chapter four! Gotta hurry up- I haven't even finished chapter five! I'll get the next update on time, don't worry!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Minecraft, the Yogscast, or any of their plotlines, characters, or creatures.**

Chapter Four

Ruins and Sand

When they reached the Mistral Ruins, they said their farewells, Arctus and Kiata going towards the edge of the forest, Tarven and Kasha going to the center. Kiata stopped outside a mossy, vine-covered cobblestone building. "This is the place." She said grimly. Arctus eyed the stronghold nervously.

"Mossy cobblestone? Looks like a dungeon." He commented, fingering his wand and accidentally making a small crater in the ground. "Are you sure this is the right place? I mean, can't the portal be somewhere nice, like a meadow of flowers? Or a pub? Pubs are cool. I like pubs."

"Nope. It's here." Kiata said with certainty. "Adaephon took me here once on patrol. The Cult of Israphel once used this as a base of operations. They built two portals here. One was destroyed by Karpath, ages ago, the other by the heroes, fairly recently. Most of the Cultists are dead or captured now, but a few might have snuck back here and built another portal." She went around the side and brushed away some vines to reveal two iron doors. She frowned. "That's weird. When I came here last with Adaephon, the doors were still blasted off from when the heroes came here. Someone's repaired them."

"Israphel? Does this mean that this might be the place?" Arctus asked.

"Maybe. Or maybe he's just trying to trick us. You can never tell with people like him. More often than not, they trick you in some way that will probably get you killed. And if they do something truthful, there's some sort of ulterior motive." Kiata said, examining the doors.

"Cheerful" Arctus muttered. Then he went around the side to examine a hole in the wall. He heard something rustling inside. He tensed, then pulled a thin wooden rod engraved with runes and symbols of battle. He murmured a spell, and, in one swift movement, the stick expanded into a battle staff. Arctus drew his wand, and, staff in one hand and wand in the other, he lit the wand tip to see...

"A sheep?!" He spluttered, laughing. Kiata came around the side to see what was so funny. "There's a sheep in there, Kia! Oh no, it's an evil Cultist, save me!" They laughed, even though the sheep had an odd look on its face, almost human...

"Okay, forget this." Arctus said after a while. "Let's take care of this door." He went around to the iron doors, which appeared to have no means by which to open them. He raised his wand.

"Um, Arctus?" Kiata asked tentatively, backing up a bit. "What exactly are you going to-"

"Pyrato!" He cried. A great flame shot out of his wand, hot enough to melt the metal of the doors and the ones beyond. Arctus muttered the counter spell, then turned around, grinning. "And that's how you do it wizard style."

"There was a button. You know that, right?" Kiata said, shaking her head and smiling exasperatedly. "I had just found it when you called me over for Mr. Cultist Sheep over there."

"Bah, what's the fun in that?" Arctus said dismissivly. "Buttons? Buttons are for wusses. Now, fire? That's a real warrior's weapon."

"You and Honeydew would get along well. Though I wouldn't trust you in the same room with a flint and tinder." Kiata quipped. "Now, let's get going." She led the way into the ruin, quickly lighting a torch on a spark from the lava pit below the single file bridge. Little holes riddled the walls, looking suspiciously like peek holes for monsters and Cultists to spy on you-or shoot you-through.

After this came a long, dark tunnel. "Oh, hooray." Arctus muttered, lighting his staff tip with flame. This had the added bonus of freeing the hand that would have normally held his wand, and of burning any enemies in his path.

They continued down the tunnel, Kiata pausing and listening from time to time, then forging onwards. They weren't attacked, even when they came into a room that Kiata said once held a spider spawner, but this didn't comfort either of the two adventurers. On the contrary, they would have preferred a few attacks and the knowledge of where the monsters were than the safety and paranoia.

Suddenly, Kiata stopped them again, then looked back at Arctus grimly. She mouthed the word "skeletons". Arctus looked back at her and raised his eyebrows; "Do we engage?" Kiata nodded solemnly, then, without further ado, entered the huge room at the end of the corridor.

Many things happened at once.

Kiata charged into the room, felling three skeletons before the rest of the battallion seemed to realize what was going on and attacked. A creeper randomly spawned in the darkness, and came hissing towards them. Arctus rounded the corner and shot a thin bolt of flame at a skeleton, not noticing that the green monstrosity was in the path of his shot until it was too late. The creeper turned, hissing, and Arctus, who was far enough away that he wouldn't be hurt, erected a weak magical forcefield around Kiata, who was right next to the thing. Magic runes glowing and flickering with blue light swirled quickly around the young Templar as the green monstrosity hissed and swelled.

The creeper exploded, taking half the battallion with him, and nearly Kiata. A few bits of shrapnel broke through Arctus's forcefield, but nothing that hurt her too much. The shield faded, and she went straight back into battle with dizzying speed. Her battle style was smooth, flowing, almost as if she were dancing, twirling to both avoid arrows and skeletal claws and to spin her sword, deftly felling a few skeletons in a single blow.

Arctus, realizing that there was no way that he could beat this many skeletons at ranged combat, hefted his staff and rushed into battle. Normally, the staff would be a conductor of magical energy, used to collect and use the magic of the five elements; earth, water, wind, fire, and cosmos. But, when ranged attacks failed, the staff was heavy, thick, solid mahogany (which was a preferred wood of wizards in staff making, while for wands they favored a wider variety of woods) and would leave you with a killer headache and the mother of all bruises on your stomach, preferably with a few breaks and fractures thrown in. It took years to master the staff, but Arctus was one of the best there was.

He swung it in a wide arc, going with the momentum to give the blow maximum force. He muttered "Pyrato!" again, and his staff burst into magical flames. Several skeletons fell to his first few attacks, either blasted apart or on fire. Arctus shot a bolt of flame at one, effectively keeping it from shooting a bolt at Kiata from its flimsy crossbow, then planted the butt of his staff on the ground. He ran, faster, faster, then jumped, spinning on the staff, kicking away skeleton after skeleton into the gloom. It was a highly effective maneuver that only the most accomplished staff fighters could achieve, and Arctus did it well.

He landed with perfect stance, then whirled his staff again, bashing the now dwindling numbers of the skeletons down a few more. Kiata fought like a demon, whirling, twirling, jabbing, and slashing at every skeleton that dared come near her. Finally, there were few enough skeletons that they could rush over to the corner and see their source; an iron cage, filled with magic black flames and covered in dark runes. A monster spawner.

Spawners came in various varieties, from the skeleton one before them to zombie, spider, creeper (thankfully the rarest), and even pig. Arctus grinned. "Cover me, I'll take care of this thing!" He called to Kiata. She merely nodded, taking out a zombie that had come from the other side of the room. More followed, and, skeletal archers taken care of, she switched to zombie tacticts.

"There's another spawner over there!" She cried, stabbing a zombie through the head, and kicking another away as it attempted to bite her. Arctus groaned in frustration. Then he muttered a spell, this time aiming his wand at the spawner. The smell of gunpowder filled the air, and the spawner exploded. Deflecting the shrapnel with another shield, Arctus grinned and went into battle.

He wasn't grinning for long. A regular staff was only effective against zombies if you could manage to hit the head each time-a near impossible feat. As Arctus's staff was aflame, it was more effective, but keeping a constant fire burning was very draining, and Arctus needed his energy to destroy the spawner. He backed up and allowed Kiata to take the lead, occasionally firing a bolt of lightning, a wind based attack which took less energy than fire, into the fray to keep a zombie off the young Templar.

But Kiata didn't really need the help. She was fighting like a whirlwind, beheading, delimbing, and disemboweling foes at lightning speed. Her eyes seemed to blaze with fire, and her weapon seemed to flicker, sometimes a long, slender sword of mithril, sometimes a diamond capped war hammer.

"The blessing of Verigan." Arctus breathed, staring at his friend in awe. He had read about the strange power given to the Templars, which could be called upon when battling the forces of Israphel, but had never seen it used. In no time, and with barely a scratch on her, Kiata had single handedly decimated the zombie forces. The fire surrounding her faded, and her weapon became her usual sword.

"You can destroy the spawner now." She said, out of breath but completely calm and at ease. This was another effect of Verigan's blessing; utter and complete calm in the face of battle. Arctus jumped and hurriedly destroyed the spawner. "Shall we continue?" Kiata asked.

"We shall." Arctus replied, still slightly dazed at his friend's unforeseen prowess in battle. He followed her farther into the castle after relighting his staff tip and Kiata's torch. There was another dark tunnel, ending in the first regular door they'd seen in the place. Cautiously, Kiata pushed the door open to find a room. One wall was partially blocked with wood, a waterfall cascading into a seemingly endless abyss, and a sign that read;

DANGER!

Mine Excavation

Long Drops

The other wall was blank. The final wall had yet another door in it. They pushed it open to see Reverend John from Terrorvale, sitting at a desk, reading his bible. He turned and stared at the intruders, looking just as he had the day they had left for Rakia. The two friends stopped, looked at each other, and backed out of the doorway, hurriedly closing it behind them.

"Was that..." Kiata asked, utterly nonplussed. "Reverend John?"

"I think it was." Arctus answered, equally confused. They exchanged a glance, and burst into hysterical laughter. After a minute of unintentional laughter, they stopped, and looked at the door apprehensively.

"Um..." Kiata said, thinking.

"Do you reckon he still wants me dead?" Arctus wondered, fingering his battle staff as though he were itching to whack John upside the head with it.

"What I don't get," Kiata whispered. "Is how he's here in the first place."

"Well, you saw him. Hardly a mark on him, right? Just looked a bit ill?" Kiata nodded. "That's the sign of an exceptional necromancer, a magician specializing in raising the dead. A poor necromancer can only reanimate bodies, making an obvious zombie with little to no intelligence. The only difference is that a necromancer's zombie will only attack when ordered to. They aren't driven by bloodlust. With me so far?" Again, the Templar nodded. The young wizard continued, "Well, a good necromancer can make a body with the same memories, look, and personality of the person it once was. The only way you can tell is that they look a bit off-color. Like Reverend Third-Life in there." Arctus finished.

"So, is Israphel a necromancer?" Kiata asked, reeling slightly from the onslaught of information coming from her friend who used to hate school lectures.

"I dunno. Has he made zombies before?" Arctus asked.

"Yeah. This is the second time he's done it to Reverend John. A couple times he reanimated Granny Bacon, though from what Adaephon told me, he was in a hurry, and did a poor job. Then, his Zombie Boss... Was a Templar." She said that last part in a voice strained with fear and anger.

"Then I'd say so." Arctus replied, trying not to look nauseated. Then he sighed. "We're just going to have to kill him, aren't we?"

"Looks like it." Kiata said, glancing at the door with distaste. "You ready?" Arctus nodded. "Then let's do this." She stepped foreword, opened the door, then screamed and leaped back when the Reverend stepped out from right behind the door. Kiata quickly regained her composure and drew her sword.

"You seem surprised to see me. But my Master promises eternity." John murmured, his voice as monotone and emotionless as it had been during his sermons. He studied them with eyes that, on closer inspection, Kiata realized were partially rotted. As she watched, she fought off a wave of nausea as a maggot crawled out of his pupil and behind his eyelid. "The brats from the village. The ones who always used to play tricks on me." John mused, his eyes settling hatefully on Arctus, who raised his now flaming staff a little higher. "You were foolish not to run when you could have. You might have been safe for a little while longer had you stayed in Rakia. But now, you are doomed.

"Yeah, well, if your master promises eternity, I think you're gonna find that a little shorter than it used to be." Arctus snarled, taking a swipe at John. His dead, rotting eyes blazed with anger as he drew a golden, sacrificial sword, the hilt inlaid with carvings of skulls and painful death, the blade lined with evil runes.

"Die, and help raise my master with your blood!" He cried, rushing Arctus, who easily deflected the Reverend's frankly pitiful blow. Kiata rushed foreword, slashing John across the stomach with a blow that would kill a regular person, but would only serve to piss off an undead. Arctus pulled out a small clay figurine, and drew a circle around it in chalk, then around himself. The young wizard then began muttering to himself, incantations that made runes swirl around him with a blue light. Kiata flinched as his voice sounded in her head.

Keep him off me! I can destroy him, but the spell needs about three minutes warm up time! Arctus's voice spoke frantically. "Got it." Kiata muttered, deflecting yet another blow from John. After her attack, his skill level seemed to go up, or maybe he was just angrier. That's a part of his magic. Just kite him around, but only make contact if you have to. Arctus told her. Kiata nodded, quickly changing the direction of a swing that would have taken off the Reverend's head, which she figured would only serve to either kill him or make him nearly undefeatable, odds that Kiata didn't like.

Two minutes to go. The Reverend kept trying to switch targets from Kiata to the defenseless Arctus, but Kiata made sure that he couldn't take his eyes off her. One of the advantages of a raised body was that it was more intelligent and had all its knowledge, but that also proved to be a weakness, as it made it so the body still had all its self-preservation instincts.

One minute to go. Keeping John back was getting harder, and Kiata was more tired than she let on. After fighting off a horde of skeletons and then calling on the strength of Verigan to help her defeat the zombies, she was almost completely drained, and having to fight off John wasn't doing her any good.

Thirty seconds. Suddenly, John lashed out with his leg, knocking Kiata on her back, winding her. He jerked her sword out of her hands, and raised his ceremonial golden sword.

"I sacrifice this Templar to raise m-" Suddenly he cut off, and his undead face filled with panic. Before Kiata could figure out what was going on, he burst into flame, and, inexplicably, began melting. Kiata scrambled out of the way with a strangled yell of horror, and watched as the Reverend literally melted away, leaving a pile of sludge on the ground. Kiata turned to see Arctus staring with satisfaction at the pile that was once Reverend John, a pile of melted clay at his feet in the circle that the figurine had once stood in.

"You... He... How...?" Kiata stuttered. Arctus grinned, his face a little tired.

"Sympathetic magic." He explained. "I tied John's essence to this figurine, and then set it on fire. When it melted, so did he." Arctus smirked. "I guess we have to call him Reverend Third-Death now." Involuntarily, Kiata laughed.

"Let's go on to the next room. The portal, if it exists, should be there." She said wearily after regaining her composure. Arctus nodded, then pointed his staff at John's remains and set them alight. They quickly burned away to nothing.

"So he doesn't become Reverend Fourth-Life." He explained.

"You just like burning things, don't you?"

"Maybe." Arctus replied with dignity before following Kiata into the next room and down yet another long, dark hallway. At the end, there was another door. "Careful, in case anyone else we've known is lurking in there, all zombified." Arctus warned. Kiata glared at him good-naturally, then pushed open the door.

The room was filled with sand, but that wasn't the most disturbing part, even to Kiata. The most disturbing part were the two mutilated obsidian frames, all that remained of two Hellgates. Near the one on the right, a small hole led to the surface.

"Neither of these are activated." Kiata muttered, running her hand along one of them. "This isn't the right place."

"Great. All that, for nothing?" Arctus moaned.

"Not for nothing. We know that this isn't the right place. And we killed off one of Israphel's liuteniants, Reverend John. I'd say we accomplished a good amount here. For two trainees, at least." Kiata said. Arctus nodded reluctantly. "Well, now that's done and over with, let's get out of here and find Tarven and Kasha."


	5. Chapter 5

**Yes, on time update! So we did get many reviews, favorites, and follows! Woohoo! Thank you to everyone who's stuck with me this far! BTW, I did get one complaint that Kiata seems to be a bit "invincible"… That was on purpose, but I do understand the sentiment. I hate it when there's a Mary Sue or whatever it is. But don't worry. Kiata's going to need her butt saved on numerous occasions. Even Templars aren't perfect!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Yogscast, Minecraft, or any of their characters, creatures, or plots.**

Chapter Five

Darkness and Trees

Meanwhile, Kasha and Tarven were hacking their way through the overgrown ruins.

"What I don't get," Tarven grunted as he cut through thick vines and tangles of leaves and brush. "Is why the city's so overgrown in the first place!"

"I don't know." Kasha said exasperatedly, killing a zombie that had strayed down their path. "Didn't Arctus say something about a druid? Swampy Bogbeard or whatever?"

"So he made this jungle?" Tarven asked, slashing through a creeper he'd mistaken for more foliage. "It's creeper paradise. Natural camouflage."

"I know. The mine should be around here somewhere..." Kasha said as they came into a large clearing. A waterfall from gods knew where was flowing into a huge square hole. An old, faded sign stood before them. "Danger mine closed keep out DANGER!" Kasha read. "Well, this looks like the place." She started towards the stairs leading down.

"Wait!" Tarven said, rushing forward. Kasha turned, eyebrows raised. "Get your bow out. I'll go first, with my sword. That's why Kia paired us together, right?"

"Fine." Kasha moaned, pulling out her bow and notching an arrow. "But if you get yourself killed, I'm bringing you back to life and killing you again, agreed?"

"If you must." Tarven replied, smiling slightly. He led the way down the stairs, slower than usual to avoid slipping on the damp, moss covered stone. It was dark, but they had a torch, and others were stuck into cracks in the walls. Tarven relit them as they went, hoping to scare off any baddies that had spawned in the darkness below.

On the first floor, a single spider and a creeper lurked. Kasha sniped the creeper while Tarven came at the spider from above, using the momentum of his fall to stab it right through the abdomen. Upon relighting the torches in the walls, they found nothing of interest except the stairway going farther down and an old sign on the floor;

Danger Shaft Sealed

KEEP OUT!

Bits of wood were scattered about everywhere. Tarven and Kasha exchanged confused glances, shrugged, and continued downwards. After the first flight of stairs, Tarven held out a hand to stop Kasha.

"Listen." He mouthed. Faint spitting hisses could be heard from below. "Spiders. Have your bow ready." Kasha nodded and readied her bow, pulling the string back ahead of time. Tarven slowly crept down the stairs, and relit the torch. Dozens of giant spiders crawled about on the floor below, being generated, it seemed, by the cobweb-covered spawner in the corner of the room.

"How are we going to get rid of that thing?" Tarven whispered, gripping his sword tightly. "We don't even have a pick-Kiata had the heroes' weapons with her."

"Don't worry. We don't need a pick." Kasha said, putting the regular arrow back in her quiver, and pulling out a thicker-shafted one with a bright red tip. She notched it and aimed at the spawner.

"What's that going to-agh!" He cried when she suddenly loosed the arrow, which exploded upon reaching its target, taking the spawner and several spiders with it. Kasha smirked at Tarven's startled expression. Then the first spider came over the edge of the stairs.

Tarven yelled and slashed the beast, cutting open its abdomen and sending it crashing to the floor below. Kasha reluctantly drew her knives and slashed another arachnid at the head. They slashed and hacked their way through the spider forces, Kasha firing off fire arrows into the throng below as quickly as she could before being forced to draw her knives again.

Tarven fought like he'd been doing it all his life, the sword of his mentor flashing in the flickering half light as he jabbed and slashed his opponents, kicking the dying bodies off the pathway as he went. Kasha watched their backs, killing any spider that came up behind them and lighting the torches when they cropped up.

When they finally reached the bottom, the spider's numbers had been decreased to reasonable levels. Kasha ran around the perimeter of the room, relighting torches as Tarven fought his way through the remaining monsters. Suddenly, just as he made a jab at a spider, he stumbled, his vision blurring for a second, his head throbbing. He shook his head, and tried to attack the spider again. The sensation returned, stronger this time, and it didn't go away. Tarven collapsed on the ground holding his head and yelling as the pain increased to near unbearable levels, blocking out all other sensations. He was dimly aware of Kasha yelling, spiders hissing, but all he cared about was the cold, cruel laugh filling his head, along with a vision of glowing red eyes.

"Tarven!" Kasha screamed, running towards her friend. She leaped to intercept a spider, which was about to pounce on the helpless knight, stabbing her knives into its body and thrusting out in two directions, sending goo and spider blood splattering across the room. She slew the last spider in a similar manner, and, room secured, she rushed over to Tarven, who was thrashing around on the floor, screaming in pain and fear. Kasha struggled to pin him to the ground.

"Tarven, wake up! It's okay! You've got to wake up Tarven, please!" She pleaded. Suddenly, as though he had heard her cries, he went limp. Kasha hurriedly checked his pulse, which had abruptly become normal, despite it having been elevated during the fight and then the subsequent episode.

Just as Kasha was preparing to look him over for wounds, Tarven gasped and sat bolt upright, looking around franticly and grasping for his sword. His eyes were wide and panicked, staring at Kasha without recognition.

"Tarven?" She asked quietly, looking him in the eyes. Tarven stared back at her for two, three, four long seconds before snapping back into reality.

"K-k-kasha?" He stuttered. "Wh-what happened?"

"You collapsed." Kasha said gently. "I took out the other spiders. The room's secure. We're safe."

Slowly, Tarven looked around, using his observation of the room as a cover for recovering his bearings. Then he laughed nervously. "Some hero I am, huh?"

"You were amazing. You took out at least twice the enemies I did." Kasha replied firmly. "What do you think happened?" Suddenly, the memory of the vision he had just before he blacked out came back to him.

"Israphel." Tarven said angrily. "Israphel happened! He used some kind of spell, got inside my head." He shuddered. "It... It hurt a lot."

"So I gathered, what with all the screaming and thrashing about." Kasha said wryly. Tarven winced at her words. "Oh, come on, Tarven, give yourself a break. This is Israphel we're talking about. Was there really anything you could have done about it?" Tarven shook his head slightly. "Exactly. Even the great knight can't win every time." She got to her feet, and helped Tarven do the same.

"So, down one of these passageways?" He asked, brushing off his clothes. He walked over to a passageway with some boards scattered about it, and another discarded "KEEP OUT" sign. Figuring this must be the way, he sheathed his sword and pulled out a torch, which he lit on Kasha's, and led the way down the long, dark tunnel.

After what felt like hours, but was probably more like fifteen minutes, they reached a cavern. In the flickering torchlight, the two adventurers observed the startling scene laid out before them.

The scarred remains of an obsidian gateway stood in the center of the room, surrounded by sand and old canisters of TNT. Kasha walked up to the frame, examining it, as Tarven walked the perimeter of the room. Suddenly, he spotted something that made him freeze.

"The portal's destroyed." Kasha said, coming around the other side of the destroyed obelisk. "It must have been blown up, and these old canisters never ignited for some reason-"

"Kasha? Come take a look at this please." Tarven asked, surprisingly calm. Kasha came over to where he was standing. Her jaw dropped. Before them, words were carved into the wall in glowing letters;

_Son, if you are reading this, then I am dead, I have walked through the Portal to seal it shut. Know that I did this to protect this land from a terrible evil. In the Nether there is a spirit that would destroy the world. It must NOT be let into this world, at any cost! If it somehow gets loose again, you must vanquish it. My armor and blade are here. It falls to you and those who stand with you to save the world. -K. Peculier._

_Fight well, my son, and know that I love you._

Tarven ran his hand along the letters of his mentor's last message from his father. Kasha stood awkwardly off to the side, biting her lip and fingering one of her knives. Tarven closed his eyes and bowed his head. After a moment, he looked up, his eyes lit with new determination.

"The portal isn't here." He said with finality. "We should head back up and meet with Kiata and Arctus."

"Right." Kasha replied hurriedly. With one last glance at the passage on the wall, Tarven led the way back up to the surface without another word.

He was going to find Peculier. Nothing more needed to be said.


	6. Chapter 6

_**So sorry**_** for the ridiculous wait-personal issues, school starting, etc. But two chapters for you today! Yay!**

**Disclaimer; I do not own the Yogscast, Minecraft, or any of their characters, creatures, or senarios.**

Chapter Six

Swab the Deck

Kiata and Arctus stumbled, exhausted from their fighting and magic, to the enterence of the Skull, where they were alternately relieved and indignant to find Kasha and Tarven recovering from battles of their own.

"About time you got here." Kasha said, to Arctus's annoyance. "We were beginning to think you wouldn't show."

"Stop it, Kasha." Tarven intergected before Arctus could reply. "We just got here about five minutes ago." He narrowed his eyes. "You two both look like you've been to the Nether and back."

"No such luck." Kiata reported. "Both the Hellgates in the ruins were destroyed. You'll never guess who we found down there, though."

"Who?" Tarven asked, thinking of Peculier.

"Reverend John." Arctus said, laughing. Tarven joined in, despite his slight disappointment. "We had to kill him. He was this crazy zombie dude. His voice was still just as boring as before, though. I swear I almost fell asleep as he was telling us that he planned to kill us slowly and painfully."

"Did he still hate your guts?" Kasha asked, chuckling to herself.

"What do you think?" Arctus chortled. "Anyway, no luck on your end, either?"

"Nope." Kasha replied, sobering up a bit. "The Hellgate was still blown up from when Karpath destroyed it, apparently. Someone put a spawner in there, though."

"We also discovered a new power of Israphel's." Tarven put in.

"Really? What?" Kiata asked, her gaze sharpening.

"He can get inside your head." Tarven continued quietly. "He, ah... Did it to me. We were in the middle of this fight, and I was surrounded by spiders. Suddenly, my head started hurting, and I just... Collapsed. In the middle of a battle."

"It's okay, Tarven." Kiata said. "He's done this kind of thing before. To Verigan himself, in fact."

"Really?" Tarven asked. Kiata nodded solemnly.

"Okay, so both portals were busts." Kasha said. "Where to next?"

"I think..." Kiata began. "BBQ Bay. Yes. That's the best place to go next. There's only one portal, for one. And the people are... Well, they're not openly hostile."

"Isabel's okay," Tarven said fairly. "Peculier introduced us, she's his sister."

"Yeah, and Spacker's awesome." Arctus said. "He's got this huge hole, right through the belly, from a cannon ball!"

"And that's awesome?" Kasha asked scornfully.

"Well, not for him, but-"

"Anyway, pirates can be a little rowdy, but it's overall the safest portal to check out." Kiata continued hurriedly. "But I think we should get some rest first. Let's set up camp here."

"I've got first watch." Kasha said, as she was the least tired of them all. The others pulled out the blankets they'd retrieved from Verigan's Hold and passed out immediately. Kasha, thinking that she could sleep on the way to BBQ Bay (Midi could always follow the others) stayed up the rest of the night, allowing her exhausted friends to recover their strength. She had a feeling they were going to need it.

The heroes set off at daybreak, eating a meager breakfast of bread and salted pork before leaving, Kasha sleeping on Midi's back a they went. The walk was long and quiet as each of the heroes (except Kasha) contemplated the brewing war. Arctus in particular was thoughtful, his expression brooding as he fingered on of his strange green marbles, which seemed to be struggling to get out of his hand.

None of the others noticed anything strange about the young wizard, as they were all lost in their own thoughts. Kiata contemplated the feat that she had managed in the Crumbling Ruin- calling upon the Blessing of Verigan. Only a true Templar could use that ability, and only when fighting for good. Kiata wondered if this meant that, in entrusting Kiata and her friends with this mission, Adaephon had deemed her training complete. The thought, instead of filling her with pride and accomplishment, scared her. She was one of the last Templars, which meant if (Notch forbid) anything happened to Adaephon, she would become not only head Templar of Verigan's Hold, but the last Templar left alive- with the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Tarven was thinking about what Kiata had said about Israphel's mind powers. He wondered why a creature with such powers would try to take over the world. Tarven thought (or hoped) that if it had been him, he would have tried to help the world, not take it by force. Tarven shook his head in disgust. What was Israphel thinking?

The group was shaken out of their thoughts (or, in Kasha's case, sleep) by their arrival at BBQ Bay. Kasha, trusting that her loyal steed would come when called, told Midi to stay out of trouble and graze in the forest. Once Midi had left, Kiata rented a rowboat to get them to the main building.

"We need to find Spacker, or Isabel." She told her friends as they rowed. "They'll know if Fireblast's ship is still where it was."

"That reminds me. Who is this Fireblast guy, anyway?" Arctus asked with his usual bluntness.

"Jock Fireblast was a Cultist, Israphel's spy in the pirate community." Kiata explained. "Any smart ruler knows that it's good to have a man in the criminal community-and who better than a pirate? Plus, Israphel also called on Fireblast whenever he needed something burned. The original Mistral City, Peculier's old house-even BBQ Bay itself." She shook her head. "He was slain by Honeydew back in the last war, though."

"How do you know all this?" Tarven asked suddenly.

"All what?" The young Templar replied, frowning.

"You know, all about, well... Everything. You seem to know every single detail about the wars, the people involved... Everything." Tarven finished.

Kiata smirked. "Let's just say that during the first year of my training, I spent so much time bent over a desk studying that it took me months to get my posture back."

"I can relate." Arctus put in, grimacing.

"Not so much with me." Kasha yawned. "Most of the studying was oral history, so I had to sit through hours of Lysander's lectures. They were boring, but the man has a way of drilling information into your head."

"Never mind that, we're here." Kiata said as they pulled up into one of BBQ Bay's many docks. They jumped out and tied the boat to the post, then made their way up into the Bay's upper floors. "Isabel will probably be on her ship. Spacker should be there, too." Kiata said decisively, scanning the surrounding ocean. "Look for a black sail, that'll be Isabel's."

"Okay, you two stay here and look. Arctus and I will go to the bar." Tarven said after holding a whispered conversation with Arctus.

"Why can't we come with you?" Kasha asked indignantly.

"You're girls. It's a bar. We're at a pirate bay." Arctus said flatly before walking off with the young knight to the nearby bar, which seemed to be made out of a poorly designed ship. Raucous laugher greeted them when they entered. Several pirates were sat at the tables inside, talking and laughing and arguing. Just as the two heroes walked in, a man stood on top of a table and cried, "T'was a ghost, I tells ya!"

The bar suddenly went quiet. The man on the table was old, with two eyepatches and a slightly frayed coat. A wolfhound lay quietly beneath his table, staring at the pirates with large hazel eyes. "I heard it!" The man continued. "Voice like shadow, he had. Smoother than the fines' silk. Colder than the Southern Sea. He was 'ere, I swear it!"

"Ah, c'm off it, Angus!" Someone called. "Yeh weren' right the las' time, why should we believe yeh now?"

"I heard it!" The man repeated. "Clearer than the nose on mah face. He was lurkin' about 'round the Dread Pirate's ship. I wen' to tell her, and she was gone."

"Please. I doubt anythin' could lay hand or blade on The Dread Pirate Norris an' get away with it." Another said scornfully.

"Tell meh, have any o' you landlubbers seen Norris round lately?" Angus asked. No one replied. "Exactly. She woulda brought meh with her if she was goin' out treasure huntin'. She made a solemn vow."

"Arr, but maybe she an' ol Spacker went off into the blue?" A rather drunk pirate said to general laughter.

"Ah, shut yer trap, Greybeard." Another called. "We all know there's only one dwarf fer Norris's bed." There was more laughter.

"I'm tellin' ya, I-" Angus tried to regain the audience's attention, to no avail. He sighed and climbed off the table. "To me ship, Ceptain." He growled. The wolfhound jumped up and led him out the door. Arctus and Tarven exchanged a quick glance, nodded, and pursued.

Kasha and Kiata were still scanning the bay when the boys found them. "We got a lead." Tarven said. "Some old pirate, Angus, thinks he heard a "ghost" with a voice like shadow."

"Now who does that sound like?" Kasha said sarcastically. "Where is he?"

"He said he was going to his ship." Arctus said, looking around.

"Did you say he was called Angus?" Kasha asked. Tarven nodded. "That'd be old Eyeless. His is the big yellow ship, that way." She pointed. Sure enough, an old man was climbing the ladder, his dog somehow following suit.

"Do you know the pirates?" Arctus asked.

"Skylords have dealings with pretty much every community in Minecraftia. In fact, I'll have to check in at Skyhold after our little pirate adventure." Kasha said. "Just to tell Lysander that I'll need some more time. Think you could spare me for one Hellgate hunt?"

"Sure. There's one coming up that should be real easy." Kiata said hesitantly. "Can you be back afterwards?"

"Of course!" Kasha replied. "This is my fight, too, you know!" and with that, she led the way confidently to Angus's ship.

Cautiously, the heroes climbed aboard the great ship. Angus Eyeless was pacing up and down the deck, his wolfhound, Captain Sparkles, mirroring his movements. Suddenly, Captain saw the heroes, and barked a warning. Angus whirled around, staring in completely the wrong direction.

"Who are ye, eh?" He yelled. "I'll slit yer gizzards and feed 'em to the kracken, ya scurvy curs!"

"What the hell did he just say?" Tarven muttered. Kiata shook her head bemusedly as Arctus tried hard not to laugh.

"Let me do the talking, he knows me." Kasha said with a sigh. "Angus! It's me, Skylord Kasha! Remember? I came here with Lysander a few weeks back!"

"Kasha? I remember no such name!" Angus growled, turning slightly towards them, but about three feet above their heads. "But a Skylord is always a friend o' mine! What brings ya here, eh?"

"We were wondering if you could tell my friends and I about the ghost you saw." Kasha replied, shaking her head exaspratedly.

"Well, well, well. Some young 'uns with brains enough to listen to an old pirate's tale. I like that." Angus mused. "Well, I was over by the eastern end o' the bay, when I heard it. A voice like shadow, cold as ice, it was. I'll never forget the chill it gave meh. Even Ceptain here was quivering." Captain whimpered his agreement. "I went to tell Norris-tha's Dread Pirate, to yeh lot-and both she an' Spacker were gone. The Black Pimple was beached over to the east. Now, I've known Norris for years-trained her up from a young lass, when she came here wantin' ter be a pirate. That was back when I still had an eye, hah! An' even when I first was teachin' her swordplay, I knew she was good. Nothin' round this bay could mess with her. But even Dread Pirates cannae escape the dead." He finished ominously.

"Thank you, Angus." Kasha said. "Now, one last question-is Jock Fireblast's underwater ship still moored here?"

"O' course." Angus replied, surprised. "O'er at the east end. Latched on to tha' old cave, we cannae remove her, or we woulda long ago."

"Thank you, sir. We won't be bothering you any more." Kasha thanked, gesturing for them to leave the ship.

"Now, get off meh ship, ya scurvy, landlubbin'..." He yelled, then trailed off, muttering insults, Captain growling for emphasis. Kasha shook her head fondly and got back into the boat.

"Crazy old bugger." She chuckled. "Blind, obviously, and a tad bit senile-but he was an amazing pirate in his day."

"Hard to believe, now." Arctus remarked. "So we're off to see the Underwater Ship?"

"Looks like." Kiata replied, looking over to the east. "The way I see it, if the Hellgate is there, Spacker and Isabel probably won't be far behind."

"Likely." Tarven agreed. "So the Hellgate was in Jock's ship?"

"No, it was in a cave below it. The ship was docked there." Kiata explained. The rest of the trip passed in silence. After about ten minutes of rowing, they reached the enterence of Jock's ship.

"Funny, how such a pyro would live underwater." Arctus remarked. He opened the hatch and led the way down the ladder, wand at the ready. He surveyed the old, abandoned ship, then signaled for his friends to come down. "There's an iron door over there." He whispered, pointing out the abnormality. "Probably connected to a hidden lever."

"If I remember correctly, then..." Kiata examined the bookcase. "Aha!" She pushed a volume-The Legend of the Flint and Steel-and the bookcase slid silently aside, revealing a lever, which the Templar pulled.

"A hidden passage? How stereotypical is that?" Arctus muttered. He lit his wand tip and led the way down the ladder again. Kiata followed, sword in hand, Tarven, likewise armed, close behind, and Kasha pointing a scatter arrow down the ladder, ready to shoot any baddies that ambushed them.

The heroes emerged into the dark, foreboding cave. Across a small but impossibly deep lake stood a broken Hellgate, a hole driven through the frame by a diamond pickaxe, leaving many of the evil fire runes marred or missing entirely. Tied to the ruined obelisk were two figures, feebily stirring in the gloom.

"There they are." Kiata muttered. "C'mon, let's- AH!" Fast as light, a slimy hand shot out of the water and pulled the young Templar under, faster than the other heroes could react.

"What the hell!?" Arctus yelled, shooting a bolt of flame into the water. It briefly illuminated Kiata, struggling to get back to the surface even as a huge, horribly disfigured zombie in a tattered Templar uniform pulled her deeper down. As the light faded, Zombie Boss drew one of his iconic axes and clubbed Kiata over the head, knocking her unconscious.

"Can't you do something?!" Tarven yelled. Arctus shook his head, angry and scared.

"I'm a fire mage!" He growled. "I can't do anything with water!"

With a strangled yell, Tarven pulled off his chestplate and dove under. His sword discarded, he drew his knife, long, thin, and sharp. The young knight kicked his way towards the Zombie Boss, who was too busy with his prey to notice Tarven. Tarven

lashed out with the knife, neatly slicing off the hand that held Kiata. Before the undead could react, Tarven started back up to the surface with Kiata in tow. Zombie Boss attempted to follow, but was forced back by a scatter arrow, curtousy of Kasha. Tarven scrambled up on the opposite end of the lake, and pulled Kiata, who was still unconscious, back behind the remains of the Portal. One of the captives, an undead dwarf, looked up.

"Cut me bonds, laddie." He rasped. "I'll take care o' tha' creature in tha lake."

Tarven sliced Spacker's bonds and handed him the knife. He took it, and dove into the lake. The knight quickly ripped a bit of his shirt off and held it to Kiata's head, which was bleed badly. She moaned in pain. The other captive woke up. She had long, curly black hair and violet eyes, just like Tarven's mentor's.

"Tarven?" Isabel whispered. "What are you doing here? And who is that?"

"This is Kiata, a Templar." Tarven replied, not looking up. "We came to save you. But Israphel's put his Zombie Boss on guard duty."

"Get him up on the shore!" Arctus called when Spacker's head popped up for a moment. "Then I can burn him!"

"If ya say so, lad." Spacker growled, then dove back under to finish the fight. A minute later, Spacker dragged the Zombie Boss up to the surface, where Arctus quickly set it alight with a murmured spell. In no time at all, the hideous beast had burned to dust.

Isabel helped Tarven get Kiata back across. "I have healing supplies on the Black Pimple." She offered. "We should be able to get her there in time to save her, but she needs more healing than I can offer. We need to get her to Verigan's Hold."

Tarven agreed, and with Isabel and Spacker's help, got Kiata onto the Black Pimple. "So what happened? How did you get captured?" He asked at length.

"It was Israphel." Isabel said darkly. "Came out of nowhere, didn't even give me a chance to fight back. I was knocked out. Spacker feigned unconciousness, and was still trying to cut his bonds on the old portal when you came." She shook her head at Kiata, who lay pale and unmoving on the bed, a bandage already stained with blood on her head. "I am sorry about your friend. Adaephon is an accomplished healer. He should be able to help."

"She's his trainee." Kasha put in. "He'll be glad to help."

"Why were ya here in tha firs' place?" Spacker asked. "BBQ Bay's a bit out of the way, an' not your ideal holiday spot, if ya catch me drift."

Tarven glanced at Arctus and Kasha. They both shook their heads minutely. "We'll let Adaephon explain when we get to Verigan's Hold." Tarven replied. "And we need to go ASAP."

"Guys, I need to get to Skyhold." Kasha said. She looked miserable.

"What? But Kiata-" Arctus began angrily.

"I know, I know, it's the last thing I want to do, but I have to!" Kasha said, wincing at his harsh tone. "I found this on Jock's ship." She pulled a scrap of paper out of her pocket. It was a poem;

_High in the sky, yet deep in the dark,_

_Listen well for the cry of the lark,_

_For then you know, wayward child of lords,_

_Death comes to the sky from the tales of old._

At the bottom was a strange symbol. "That's Israphel's mark." Arctus muttered, running his hand across it. "Cultists use it."

"Something's wrong in Skyhold." Kasha said, without any doubt. "I have to make sure it's okay. I'll meet you back at Verigan's Hold when I'm done. I'm sorry... But I have to do this." She looked on the verge of tears. Tarven thought for a moment.

"Go." He said finally. "Kiata would want you to check on your people. Just... Be careful. If something is going on, we won't be there as backup. Remember that."

Kasha nodded. "Thank you! And... I'm truly sorry." She turned and whistled, a high, eerie sound. In no time, Midnight was swooping in to land on the deck of the Black Pimple. Kasha mounted her loyal steed, gave her friends one last wave, and took off, trying to shake the bad feeling that this would be the last time she saw them alive.

Unfortunately, her fears were far from unfounded.


	7. Chapter 7

**Oh, no! Kiata! In this chapter, I'm playing with the horror movie genre… Also, the adventure is beginning too wrap up!  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Yogscast, Minecraft, or any of their characters, creatures, or senarios.**

Chapter Seven

Blood in the Fog

Tarven and Isabel supported Kiata between them as they brought her into Verigan's Hold. She had been ridden there on a spirit horse summoned by Arctus. The young Templar was still pale and unconscious, though she had been awake earlier, fevered and confused. Isabel said that the wound had become infected. That was what was causing the fever. Arctus had attempted some healing magic, and although he wasn't very good at it, it had reduced the fever and slowed the bleeding.

"Adaephon!" Isabel cried. "Come quickly, uncle!"

"Isabel? What are you-" Adaephon came from the battlements, and froze when he saw Kiata. "Take her to the rooms. I will do what I can." He said, his voice strained. They quickly obliged, taking Kiata to the room Daisy had once occupied. Adaephon made them leave the room. Then they waited.

Arctus sat on a chair, nervously fiddling with one of his green pearls. Tarven pased up and down the hall. Isabel and Spacker stood silently side by side.

After about an hour, Adaephon emerged, pale and exhausted. "She'll be fine in a few days." He said wearily. "I had some healing potions, they helped."

"Thank Notch." Arctus muttered. Tarven slid down the wall and sat on the floor, head resting on his knees.

"Tell me what happened." Adaephon demanded. Tarven didn't reply, and, not knowing what to do, Arctus also remained silent.

"It was my fault, Uncle." Isabel said quietly. Adaephon whirled towards her. "Israphel came upon Spacker and I unexpectedly. We were captured, and hidden in the old cave beneath Fireblast's ship. These young heroes came to save us, but the Zombie Boss lay waiting in the lake. There was nothing we could do-he pulled her under and hit her over the head before she could react. The knight, Tarven, dove in after her. He risked his life to save hers. Had he not, she surely would have drowned." She paused. "I am sorry, Uncle."

"No. I am sorry." Adaephon replied firmly. "I should have warned you of the coming danger. You could have been on your guard. And Kiata..." He paused. "She will recover rapidly. Perhaps I sent her out too soon. She should remain here with m-"

"Wait a minute!" Arctus interupted. "Adaephon, Templar, sir, whatever, you can't take Kia off this mission!"

"I am her mentor. I believe the decision is up to me." Adaephon replied hotly.

"No, you don't understand! She needs this!" Arctus argued. "Before she came to you, back when we were kids, Kiata lost her family. We were on our way to Rakia City, and a creeper got her wagon while she was visiting us. She used to be a leader, always completely confident and in control. After that, she was never the same-until this mission. She's become a leader again. We got our friend back." He took a breath. "She told me once that she'd become a Templar because she wanted to do something worthwhile. This war, this mission, is worthwhile to her. And if you won't let her keep this mission for her... She summoned the Blessing of Verigan fighting off a horde of zombies in the Cult's hideout. You know that means she's ready." Arctus glared at the old Templar, who's face was unreadable.

"It seems I was... Mistaken." He said at last. "Young wizard, thank you for helping me to see sense. I overreacted when I saw her unconcious... She is the last Templar, but it is more than that. I have taught her everything I know. She is... As a daughter to me. And I thought her a suitable replacement for me. I am old. This war will be difficult. I may not make it out alive." He stared out a window into the desert. "Most of my life has been spent here, protecting the world from the desert. I will not be surprised if I end my life doing this."

"You hoped that she would take up the mantle." Tarven realized.

"And worried that I was rushing her." Adaephon finished miserably. "Skilled as she is, she is also unexperienced. She doesn't know what it is to face Israphel and his forces. Thank Notch, none of you were here for that."

"She's ready, sir." Arctus assured. "I know it."

Adaephon was silent for a moment. "Promise me that you will do everything within your power to keep her safe." He said at last.

"We promise." Tarven and Arctus said in unision.

"Thank you, heroes, for putting my mind at ease." Adaephon replied. "Now, I must see to the battlements. She should wake in an hour or two. Feel free to stay with her." He turned to Spacker and Isabel. "Old friend, niece, I am glad you are safe. If you would join me on the battlements?"

Isabel nodded, and Spacker said, "O' course, Adaephon. It'll feel good to be fightin' ol' Red Eyes again." The trio went off to the battlements, and the young heroes went to visit Kiata.

Meanwhile, Kasha was swooping in for a landing.

Although regulations forbade it, she forwent the dock and landed right outside the stables. She put Midi away in her usual stall, and stored all her things away, except for her bow and quiver, her knives, and another weapon strapped to her ankle. Pausing, she drew it and examined it.

It just about the most simple, basic weapon one could make-a wooden stake, carved with intricate drawings. Kasha smiled as she observed the little carvings she had made when she was bored. The stake wasn't strictly necessary equipment for a Skylord, but ever since the Incident three years before, it had been recommended. Even the senior Skylords carried them, and the trainees followed suit.

Kasha sheathed the stake and went outside, expecting Lysander to come swooping in on her, lecturing her about regulations (bor-ring) or Amber, with her quiet critisism, to reprimand her. But no one came.

"Must be asleep." Kasha murmured. She didn't want to wake anyone, but her news had to be conveyed, and Lysander would be angrier if she didn't wake him up for something this important. She jogged down the cobblestone paths to Lysander's house. She was just about to open the door when someone called out.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Kasha whirled, hands on her knives, to see a woman, older than her by about three years, with cherry red, straight hair, and pale skin. She wore leather armor and the trademark goggles of a Skylord. Her voice was slightly accented, but Kasha couldn't place it exactly.

"Skylord Kasha, completed training three weeks ago." Kasha replied cautiously. "Returning from week off holiday. Who are you?"

"Natia, trainee as of three days ago." The woman replied. "Under Skylord Jasper. Was that your pegasus?"

"Yes, that's Midnight." Kasha answered, relaxing slightly. "Old Jasp's finally gotten himself a trainee, eh? About time."

"Yes." Natia said stiffly. "You're supposed to come in at the docks, you know."

"Ah, regulations, smegulations." Kasha said dismissively, rolling her eyes. "I've landed like that a hundred times before. Lysander asleep?"

"No, he is away. He and Skylord Amber went on a scouting mission." Natia replied.

"Oh, scouting mission, I'm sure." Kasha scoffed. Inexplicably, Natia tensed. "Those two finally get together?"

"Ah, no, I don't believe so." Natia replied, obviously relieved. "Something about a disturbance with some Shiplords?"

"Oh, those gits." Kasha muttered discontentedly. "Fine, then. When will they return?"

"Tomorrow, if nothing went wrong." Natia said.

"Okay. So is Jasper about, then? Or Damien?" Kasha asked. Natia shook her head.

"Training mission. I'm on my own here." She said. Kasha sighed.

"Well, as you're a newbie, and I'm fully qualified..." Kasha said thoughtfully, "Guess that makes me in charge of Skyhold. Have you practiced with your blade yet? And your ranged weaponry?"

"No." Natia said stiffly. "But I hardy think-"

"Get to it, then." Kasha said cockily, enjoying the feeling of growing out a phrase Lysander told her at least three times a week. With an annoyed glare, Natia went off to her chores. Kasha checked that the trainee had left, then ran to the Control Room.

Only qualified Skylords were permitted inside, but there was a communication system in there. All Skylords were connected-Kasha's iron earring was really a cummunication device. Normally, Kasha would have taken a fellow Skylord's excuse for others being absent immediately, but something about Natia made Kasha suspicious. So she had to be sure.

She climbed the stairs of the central building of Skyhold, and climbed down the hatch at the top, dropping down into the Control Room. Kasha had heard that you could move Skyhold from this room, but hadn't been taught how. She activated the com system, and selected Lysander's name.

"Skylord Lysander, this is Skylord Kasha, come in?" She said clearly. No response. "Lysander, do you read me?" Again, silence. Cursing, she selected Amber's com. "Skylord Amber, this is Skylord Kasha, report!" She said. No answer. Kasha was concerned, but even senior Skylords like Lysander and Amber would turn off their coms if they were getting it on. Smirking, Kasha selected Jasper's com. "Skylord Jasper, this is Skylord Kasha, come in, please." Silence. Kasha frowned. Now she was worried. She hurriedly checked Damien's com. Silence. "Oh, crap. Oh, crap!" She muttered. Then she noticed something. Natia didn't have a com. She had come just three days ago, sure, but Kasha had been given hers the moment she said "Yes, thank you." Something was going on here.

She quickly climbed out of the Control Room, sealing it shut behind her, and surveyed the area. Luckily, in the dark, Natia's bright red hair would be easy to spot with even the slightest light. She quickly spotted the trainee, not by the sparring area, but under the old apple tree. Dimly, she registered a lark singing.

Kasha's insides froze. How many horror stories had she heard about that apple tree? But, no. It couldn't be.

And yet... She couldn't afford to be wrong.

Kasha ran down the stairs, and, using all the stealth training Lysander had given her, made her way silently over to the apple tree. From the tower, Kasha had seen Natia from behind. Now she wished she hadn't decided on a frontal view.

Ivan, another trainee, lay on the ground, a horrified expression frozen onto his dead face, as Natia bent over him, mouth around his neck. A gaping hole had opened in his chest, where a sword had taken out his heart, and he was already paper-white from lack of blood. Kasha froze, horrorstruck. She had trained with Ivan. He was supposed to take his Skylord exam soon. He had always been a jokester, and always ready to lend a hand. Now he was dead.

Kasha took a step back, then froze again as a twig snapped beneath her foot. Natia's head whipped up, her lips stained deep red with blood, contrasting horrifically beautifully with her snow white skin. She licked her lips, slowly, obscenely, as she observed her prey.

"I was practicing my swordplay." Natia murmured, drawing a bloodstained obsidian sword. "That is what you told me to do, no?" Her voice had changed slightly-it was more accented, as though she had stopped trying to hide it. Kasha now realized it was Trylian-a land notorious for its vampire population.

"Well, a less realistic method was what I had in mind." Kasha replied. Natia went to the left, and Kasha mirrored her motion, stepping to the right. They began to circle. Kasha drew her stake. Natia grinned, revealing teeth permanently stained red from previous meals.

"Why?" Kasha asked. Natia laughed. It was a terrifying sound.

"Why, you ask? Why, it was your mentor, Lysander, who brought me here." She replied, any trace of mirth suddenly vanishing. "He has taken something very dear to me. I intend to pay him back in kind. Perhaps you are too young to know, Kasha, but once upon a time, there was another vampire here. His name was Vitali."

"He came to take over Skyhold." Kasha said, continuing their second rotation. "He had killed nearly all the Skylords. But Lysander and the heroes found him out. Lysander stabbed his heart with a wooden stake."

"And killed my husband!" Natia wailed. Bats fluttered, screeching, out of the trees. "Lysander killed my husband, and I have come to kill him! But first-oh, first- I must make him feel my pain. Which is why I need you, Kasha."

"Why me?" Kasha asked, starting their third revolution.

"You are his trainee, his prodigy." Natia replied. "Very dear to his heart, indeed, I would say. It would break him to watch you die. Slowly. Painfully. Like a cat playing with a mouse, Kasha, I will kill you. Remove your organs, and then your arms. Legs. And I shall skin you like a prize piece of game. And then, Skylord, I will kill you. And dear Lysander will be powerless to stop me." She smiled at the thought. "At last, he will know my pain."

"Gotta catch me first." Kasha said as they reached the halfway point of their fifth circle, putting the young Skylord right in front of the apple tree. She turned and jumped down the small hole in the tree's trunk, and ran down the bloodstained, cobwebbed tunnel. She heard Natia wail and follow, jumping from wall too wall, much faster than Kasha could run. But the Skylord had a head start and all of her self preservation instincts on her side. She ran through a door to a kind of crypt, filled with a horrible, rotting smell. Ignoring this, Kasha continued down a hatch and another hallway, this one even more bloody than the last.

Kasha burst into the vampire's bedroom, and noticed two things. One; Lysander, Amber, Damien, and Jasper were all bound, gagged, and beaten half senseless on the floor. Two; Natia was somehow already here.

"What the hell?!" Kasha yelled, just as Natia cried, "Die!" The vampire knocked Kasha into the back wall, and rushed straight to her throat. Then she froze inches away from Kasha's neck.

The Skylord pulled the long, sharp stake out of Natia's heart. Her breath gurgling as her last meal came up her throat, Natia shriveled and slowly dissolved into dust, leaving not the slightest trace that there had ever been a vampire in the chamber except for the blood and an empty coffin.

"Kasha... How did you know what she was?" Lysander asked her later on when they had gathered in the Control Room. The Skylords had been treated and healed as best as Kasha's first aid skills could manage. Amber, Jasper, and Lysander looked shaken up, but were covering it well. Damien still hadn't spoken since he saw his best friend, Ivan's, body at the base of the apple tree.

"I didn't until I saw her-well, you know." Kasha replied, glancing apologetically at Damien. "I came back here because I have some very important news."

"What is it?" Amber asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Israphel is back. The Sand Wars have begun again." Kasha replied. There was a silence, which was broken by the beeping of the com system.

"Adaephon? What is it?" Jasper answered.

"There has been an attack!" Adaephon's voice came out of the speaker. "We need Skyhold here now! The Sentinals are coming! We request tha... Imedi...Sa...all...hel..." The transmission broke off.

"We lost it." Jasper said, slapping the console. "But we know where to go. Your orders, Amber?"

Amber considered for a moment. Then she smiled. "You heard the man. Lysander, plot a course to Verigan's Hold!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Huge, major, mojumbo apologies for the hideously long wait! Writer's block, family issues, school issues… You know the drill. However, writer's block is done and gone, and I have updated/improved the Shaki story for you! Hooray! So things should go smoother from now on.**

**DISCLAIMER; I do not own Minecraft or the Yogscast, or any of their characters, creatures, or senarios.**

Chapter Seven

Of Pearls and Endermen

Arctus was on the run from the law.

Or at least, he soon would be. The young wizard had decided to get a head start. As soon as Kiata had become coherent, Arctus had set out to execute his plan-one that could under the worst circumstances get him killed, and the best get him arrested for life.

He pulled out one of his glowing, green marbles. One of Fumblemore's lectures came back to him; "The Ender Pearls are left behind when a slain Enderman's spirit returns to its home-a land we know only as the End. Combined with Blaze Powder, created by pounding Blaze Rods of the Nether Fortresses' protectors, Blazes, into dust, it creates the Eye of Ender. This pearl can guide you to the enterence of the End where one would face a great trial. But beware, the End is deadly, and holds back the greatest power since Notch himself-and, thus, to enter the End, or even to repair the portal, would result in a lifetime sentence in prison, no matter the motives or result."

But Arctus knew the power of the Sentinal-and he knew what he had to do. The power in the End was the only thing that could drive back the Sentinals for any prolonged amount of time. So Arctus had to seek it out, no matter the consequences.

His reasoning was that if the power was some sort of magic, who better than a wizard to wield it? And if it was a creature-some sort of celestial being-surely it would be intelligent enough to understand that the people of the Overland needed its help. Arctus had to be able to make it see sense. But if he couldn't... Then he would have to seal it away again. Probably with a Life Barrier-the strongest barrier a wizard could create, at the cost of their own life. Not preferable, no, but Arctus could imagine worse ways to go. At the hands of the Sentinals, for instance.

Arctus held the marble flat in his palm. After a second's delay, it sprung up from his hand, and floated to the East. Grinning, Arctus summoned a spirit horse and followed.

The Ender Eye flew across the landscape, with Arctus in hot pursuit, riding hard and fast across the plains. After an hour (would it ever stop?) they came to a forest. As the day wore on, the forest grew larger and larger, until it was a jungle. Hours later, the jungle ended suddenly, and the Ender Eye dropped. Excited, Arctus ran towards it, but found that it had simply run out of Blaze Powder. Arctus looked around. To the East, an endless ocean stretched out of sight, the sunset playing upon its waters.

"Pourriez-vous être à la recherche de quelque chose, mon garçon?" Arctus turned to see a large man with dark hair covered by a beret. His face was mostly hidden by a thick, black beard, and he wore and old sailing outfit. Arctus stared at him blankly. "Parlez-vous français?" The man asked. That, at least, Arctus knew.

"Uh, no. I parlez English." He said awkwardly. The man looked dissapionted.

"Oh. Of course." He said with a heavy French accent. Francial was a distant land, famous for good wine, good food, and good times. "I am called Shiplord Hubert." He pronounced it "Oo-berr", which confused Arctus. "And you?"

"Ah... I'm Arctus, a wizard." He replied. They shook hands. "Did you say you were a Shiplord?"

"Oi, indeed." Hubert answered. "This is my dock. And that, my magical friend, is my ship." He pointed to the small ship at the dock. Even Arctus, who knew nothing about ships, could tell she was beautiful, with an intricately carved bow, wonderfully polished mahogany wood, and a thin yet sturdy with a great white sail and the French flag flying up top. Arctus could tell she was built for speed and endurance. "The Carmendy, my woman." Hubert said affectionately. "She's a temperamental lady, but she is the best vessel of all the Shiplords. Now, what brings you all the way to the Eastern coast, young Arctus?"

"I need sea transportation. If you're willing to oblige." Arctus replied, struck by sudden inspiration. Hubert's eyebrows raised.

"But of course. But, if you don't mind my asking, why do you need to go to sea?" He asked-not suspiciously, but curiously.

"I'm looking for something." Arctus answered. "I'm not sure how far I'll need to go, though."

"Well, old Carmendy's ship shape and ready to sail on my command." Hubert laughed. "There isn't a journey the old girl can't handle. Come aboard, Arctus, my friend. Let us see what we can find!"

The Shiplord didn't blink at Arctus's request that he follow the pearl, steering the ship in the direction the glowing orb flew, as Arctus stood at the bow, staring after it. After an hour of uneventful sailing, they stopped. In front of the ship, the orb hovered. Arctus hesitantly reached out for it. It fell into his hand.

"This is the place." He muttered. "I'm going in."

"You know, usually I get passengers who simply want to get from coast to coast." Hubert muttered. "But I've learned not to question you wizarding types."

"Probably a good idea." Arctus told him, then dove in.

Normally, diving into water fully clothed was not a good idea. But when one was a wizard capable of erecting a bubble of air around oneself, it was hardly an issue.

Arctus floated downwards, deeper into the gloom of the open ocean, until, after what felt like hours, he hit the bottom. He released another pearl, which flew to a point some five feet away, then hovered. Arctus grimly pulled out his wand.

"And now," He murmured, his voice oddly distorted in the enclosed air bubble. "We diggy diggy hole." He blasted the ground below the pearl away, then quickly erected another air shield above the hole to prevent the stronghold below from being flooded. Arctus grabbed the Ender Eye, pulled out his battle staff, and jumped down the shaft.

He landed softly in a corridor made of stone bricks, some cracked, others covered in moss. It was dark, and oddly deserted. Arctus lit his staff, and released the pearl again. It floated down the left corridor, and Arctus sprinted after it.

Just as the pearl turned a corner, a bloodcurdling screech sounded behind Arctus. He whirled around to see and Enderman standing behind him, a stone brick raised in it's abnormally long arms as it charged, teleporting every couple of steps.

"Auquatra!" Arctus yelled, sending a high-powers blast of water at the Enderman as he reappeared. The creature froze, then disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving an eerie pearl behind, which Arctus pocketed for later.

The young wizard turned back to the corridor and cursed-the Ender Eye had flown out of sight. He reminded himself that now that he was in the stronghold, the pearl would wait for him at the portal enterence, and pulled out another, which he followed down the corridor, and left again.

Arctus had expected the stronghold to be full of terrors-poisonous spiders, hordes of Endermen, legions of skeletons-but all that Arctus found was the natural spawns of the darkness, an occasional spider, some zombies and skeletons, all easily burned, blasted apart, or electrocuted. His pearl led him on and on, until it finally ran out of juice in a room with a small lava well in it. As Arctus relit the pearl, he heard a strangled hiss behind him.

He whirled, staff ready, to see a tiny, silver-grey, segmented insect scrambling towards him. Without thinking, he sent a bolt of fire at it-a big mistake.

By the time Arctus remembered the Silverfish's telepathic abilities, it was too late; the one Silverfish was dead, only to be replaced by an entire legion of the things, each and every one of them after Arctus's blood.

Arctus yelled and ignited his staff completely, drawing on the fire power of the lava to give him his fire abilities, knowing that he'd need his reserve power for the final battle. He burned wave after wave of Silverfish, their bodies decaying quickly to ashes, and being replaced just as quickly by more corpses. They just kept coming, and Arctus just kept burning, until, finally, only a small group of the things remained.

They were surrounding a bulbous, bloated, enormous Silverfish in the corner of the room. As Arctus watched, the other Silverfish surrounded her, a writhing, squirming mass of flashing grey swirling about the Queenfish, who glared at the wizard with hate. She wanted to kill the one who had brought the dreaded fire to their underwater haven, the one who had burned so many of her young.

Arctus pointed his staff at the queen and yelled, "Pyrato!" A great plume of fire rushed over the Queenfish and her swarm, burning them layer by layer to a crisp, until, finally, the Queenfish fell with a haunting screech. Arctus took a deep breath, thanking Notch that the swarm had decided to attack in a room with a lava well, and continued onward, following the Eye.

After dozens of twisting corridors, empty prison cells, staircases, and monsters, Arctus entered the portal chamber. Two Ender Eyes hovered before the incomplete portal, which consisted of a frame surrounding a pit of lava. Arctus ascended the steps, coming closer to the portal. One or two pearls had already been placed in their slots-likely by some adventurers who were overrun with monsters before they could finish.

Wondering vaugely if any of the zombies or skeletons he'd killed had been the ones who left the pearls, he snatched up his two floating Ender Eyes and placed them in two of the slots. Eight more remained, leaving Arctus with only one last pearl in his collection. Reverently, he slowly filled the last slot in the portal frame.

For a second, nothing happened. Then a spot of black appeared in the lava. At first, Arctus thought that the lava was becoming obsidian, until the little ink drop floated out if the pit to hover at the center of the frame. Slowly, it billowed outwards, swirling to fill the frame, dotting itself with little stars as it went. Soon, the entire frame was filled.

Arctus grinned-he had done it! He made to step through the portal, but someone behind him whispered, "Wait."

Arctus turned, staff held aloft, to see an Enderman. He stared into the taller creature's eyes as it cocked its head to the side contemplatively.

"You seek out my King," He murmured, his voice as quiet and insistent as snow. "Yet you do not seek to kill him."

"I seek his aid." Arctus replied hesitantly. "Who are you?"

"You know me and my kind as the Endermen. The name is fitting-men of the End." The Enderman continued. "We do not designate ourselves as you humans do. We know the difference between one Enderman and another on sight. For instance," His eyes darted quickly to the leather pouch at Arctus's waist. "I know that the soul in your pocket is that of our Prince."

"I-is it?" Arctus stammered. "I didn't know. I didn't kill it, I confiscated it from a rogue." And so he had-the possession of Ender Pearls was restricted to wizards and royalty.

"You seek my King's aid, you said?" The Enderman continued, "Return to him his son's soul-perhaps then, he will listen." The Enderman teleported away. Arctus blinked. Had he just won a staring contest with an Enderman? The feat was unheard of.

Arctus pulled out his last Ender Pearl. Was it really the soul of a prince? He pocketed it-if it was, it could be useful later. The young wizard took a deep breath, looked down into the Ender Portal, and jumped.


	9. Chapter 9

**Well, there you have it. I am horrible at keeping promises. But I have a plan now. Once I finish a chapter, I'll upload it. Set dates just never work for me.**

**Special thanks to Olivia-Ivy for getting me motivated! You're awesome!**

Chapter 9

Dungeons and Dragons

Arctus had been through minor transportation portals before. It felt rather like walking through a tight space-slightly claustrophobic, yet not too strange. The Ender Portal was another beast entirely.

Arctus felt like he was being slowly dissolved, particle by particle, until his vision was overcome by the endless darkness with twinkling stars. This sight stayed with him for a while, until it finally occurred to him to move, and he stood up.

Looking around, Arctus's jaw dropped. Off-white stone floated seemingly midair, hovering in an endless abyss of dark, twinkling blackness. He stood on what appeared to be a small floating island over the mainland.

The only thing more extraordinary than the land were its people; hundreds of Endermen wandered about, their purple eyes glowing as they walked. A crowd gathered below his island, and a humming murmur began as they discussed this human intruder on their land.

Just when Arctus thought he had seen it all, a great shadow came over him. Dread building within him, he looked up, and finally understood exactly why the End had been sealed off and forbidden.

A dragon, bigger than any Overworld dragons, soared above him. He was black as night, with grey-purple scales, great claws tipping his enormous wings. His long tail was tipped with long, sharp spikes, and ragged scales ridged his back. The creature had to be as huge as Skyhold, and much stronger; his power was so great, Arctus almost felt drawn towards him, as if he generated his own gravity field.

The dragon swung around, and came to a halt in front of Arctus, hovering by flapping his wings in a figure eight pattern, like a monstrous hummingbird. "I am the Enderdragon." He said, his voice speaking in Arctus's mind. "Why have you come, human? Many an age has passed since one of your kind has passed into our haven."

Arctus stared at him, then remembered that he was supposed to be speaking. "I am Arctus, a wizard of the Overland. I have come seeking your aid to save my realm. I also come bearing a gift of good faith." He drew out the Ender Pearl that had been the prince. The Enderdragon rumbled, and the pearl floated out of his hand.

It came to a rest just in front of Arctus, where it began a sort of reverse glow, emanating darkness as it expanded. In under a minute, a fully grown Enderman stood in front of him. The Prince regarded him, and spoke in that same soft, insistent voice; "I thank you for freeing me, and returning me to my people."

"Anytime." Arctus replied. The Prince nodded, then blinked away. Arctus turned back to the Enderdragon.

"Mercy. More than I ever expected from a human." The dragon mused. "Very well. I will hear your proposal, Arctus, mage of the Overland."

Clang! Clang! Thwack! Kiata slashed through the target dummy's armor and hacked off his arm. She stood back, satisfied, and went to rest on the bench as Tarven took his turn.

The heat was sweltering in the Desert Hold; though it was less a hold than a campsite, with three loops of tents, with the command center, the training grounds, and the mess hall at the centers, respectively.

Though most of the small army that had come at their call-Icarians, mostly, though some from New Mistral-was eating in the mess hall, Kiata had decided to train some more, and Tarven, ever the loyal friend, had joined her.

Though she would never admit it, she wanted to train because she was-dare she say it-embarrassed by what had happened in the underwater cave. Her head still throbbed slightly, and Tarven wouldn't leave her alone for a second, except when she was bathing, dressing, or relieving herself, which left her very little time to think.

Logically, Kiata knew she couldn't blame herself; there hadn't been any way to avoid it. But still, she cursed herself soundly for letting her guard down for even a second. Tarven had told her about the argument Arctus had had with Adaephon, and about him wanting to take her off of their mission. Kiata had wanted to thank the young wizard for convincing Adaephon otherwise, yet he had disappeared the moment she had woken up. Kiata was slightly concerned about Arctus disappearing suddenly, but Tarven told her not to worry-he was a wizard, they were wierd like that.

She watched as Tarven slashed away at the dummy. Even though the upcoming battle would be difficult, he had proven himself wonderfully to Adaephon when he almost single-handedly fended off the attackers at Verigan's Hold.

The knight beheaded the dummy, and he turned to Kiata. "You okay?" He asked. Kiata sighed. He'd been asking that a lot lately.

"Fine, same as the last time you asked me, Tarven." She replied, smirking slightly. "There's something funny about a strong young man like you playing mother hen, you know that?"

"Well, one might say there's something funny about a Templar recovering from a headwound staying outside in the insane heat to train." Tarven retorted, sitting down next to me. "Sure you're okay? You had that look again."

"What look?"

"That 'thinking-deep-thoughts' look. That 'faraway' look. That 'lala land' look. That-"

"Okay, okay, I get it." Kiata cut him off. He laughed at her disgruntled expression. "I was just thinking about Arctus."

"I told you not to worry about him. He's a wizard, remember? He is quite capable of looking after himself." Tarven assured me.

"Yeah, I know. It's just-" She gasped and grabbed her head. She vaugely heard Tarven shout as her vision swam before her, and she blacked out.

She opened her eyes to a great hall made of sandstone. Wind whipped her face, stirring clouds of sand into the air. Kiata looked around, taking in the carvings on the walls, the great staircase, and the patterns made by the dustdevils-fighting warriors, flying birds, and running horses.

"Welcome, young Templar." Kiata turned to see a woman coming down the staircase. Though part of her mind told her to draw her weapon, the rest was frozen by the newcomer's beauty; her long, curly, caramel hair swirling down her shoulders; her tan skin; her perfect, curvaceous body; her sky-blue, flowing dress; and most of all her almost hypnotic eyes, with swirling, yellow-brown irises that whirled like miniature sandstorms.

"Where... Why... Who?" Kiata stammered. The woman smiled slightly.

"I am Shaki. Spirit of beauty and freedom, patron of the desert." She said. "You are in the Unreachable Temple of Sand. And as for why... Well, let's just say that I have taken a special interest in your war."

War? Spirits? Kiata forced herself to focus. "Special interest? Why?" She asked. Shaki smiled a little sadly.

"Once upon a time, it was my war, as well." She said. "Long, long ago, I was a Templar. One of the best."

"What happened? Why are you here now?" Kiata asked.

"That, I daresay, shall be revealed in due time." Shaki replied. "But I am here to offer you a bit of advise. Your friend, the mage, has made a rash, yet necessary, decision."

"Arctus? Oh, what has he done now?!" Kiata groaned.

"He has contacted the Power within the End, in an attempt to procure its aid." Shaki said. "Whether he has been successful or not, I cannot say. The End is not within my area of jurisdiction."

"The End? But... That's forbidden." Kiata said slowly, as the gravity of the situation became clear. "He'll be..."

"Executed. Indeed. But there is a way to save him." Shaki said. She held out her hand, and one of the dust devils whirling around the temple flew into her palm. The spirit closed her hand, and when it opened, a golden brooch with a sandstone centerpiece sat in it.

"This little artifact will give you the ability to erase the memories of a single event from history. No one involved will remember that event ever happened. However, it requires the strength of four people to activate." Shaki explained.

"Four people..." Kiata murmured, accepting the brooch. "I think I can manage that."

"And one last thing; the Heroes, they are running out of time. When you find the portal, do not destroy it. Go through it. Only you and the knight. The Skylord and the Mage must remain behind. This is essential." Shaki said. "Good luck, young Templar. And prepare yourself for the battle ahead."

"Battle?" Kiata asked, but Shaki merely smiled a little sadly, and waved her hand, causing Kiata's view to be lost in a sudden sandstorm.


End file.
